A Little Misunderstanding
by redflower
Summary: When Hermione’s mother misinterprets a meeting between her daughter and Draco Malfoy, Hermione decides to continue the façade, rather than break her mother’s heart.
1. A New Assignment

Author's Note:  I just wanted to point out that this is my beginner's piece, so it's a little rough around the edges.  I do have more writing on my laptop, but I'm too self-conscious to put them up here yet.  So, with that said, there's only one more thing I want to tell you.  Please, please review.  Whether you love it or hate it or don't get it at all, I want to know.  If you have ideas or suggestions, or even criticism... let me know.  I want to hear from everyone.  

Disclaimer:  This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc.  No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  

Chapter One: A New Assignment / Just Another Day at the Office 

"So, are we hitting the Leaky Cauldron for lunch today?" Came a voice from the doorway of Hermione Granger's office.  She looked up from her cluttered desk to find her colleague and friend, Elle, slouching against the doorframe.  

"I wish I could, Elle," Hermione replied, a look of disappointment gracing her features, "But Grant has me scheduled for a lunch meeting today.  And on top of that, I've got mountains of paperwork to get through before the holidays."

"I know what you mean," Elle said, sounding a little annoyed, "Whatever he doesn't feel like doing, gets dumped on my desk.  Tomorrow then?"  

Hermione looked out her window.  It was a cold, blustery December day and the snow was falling softly from the London sky.  The streetlights were decorated with wreaths and the street was alive and busy with people getting their last minute holiday shopping done.  She turned back to Elle and smiled.

"Sure.  I'll probably need it after this meeting.  I'm sure it's one of those I-can't-be-bothered-with-this-so-I'll-you-make-you-do-it meetings that he likes to send us on." Hermione laughed, "And anyway, speaking of the devil, I'm supposed to go see him for a pre-meeting conference.  Whatever that is."  Hermione got up from her desk, fetching her bag and swinging it over her shoulder.  

"Hmm, give me a minute to translate…" Elle paused joking, and then smiled as Hermione grabbed her coat, laying it over her arm.  "Oh, gosh, Hermione I think I'm loosing my touch.  I really need to brush up on my English to Bullshit / Bullshit to English.  Go ahead, ask me something."  

Hermione laughed at the feigned look of shock on her friend's face and ushered Elle out of her office and locking the door behind her.  "I really should go…" Hermione said, her worrywart side taking over.  

"Oh come on." Elle whined as Hermione started down the hall.

"Oh alright.  Um, how about, 'this is a recent development'." Hermione said, turning back to face her, waiting for the translated reply.  

"When the bloody hell did this happen?" Elle called after her, doing her best Grant impression, not noticing the curious looks she was getting from other employees.

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione's hand, poised to knock on the door, lingered in the air for a moment.  She took a deep breath and knocked softly, quickly hearing what she assumed to be a 'come in'.  Opening the door, she stepped inside and stood just a few steps inside the office.  She watched her boss, who was looking over the paper- yesterday's paper, she noted- and she decided to speak up.

"Mr. Grant, you wanted to see me."  She offered.  His eyes lingered on the paper for a moment longer before he ushered her to sit down, which she did.

"Yes.  I wanted to talk to you before the interview."  He said, finally tearing his eyes from the print in front of him and laying the paper across his desk. "I wasn't going to tell you but I figured you should know now.  You'd find out sooner or later."  Hermione swallowed hard, unsure of what he was saying and fearing the worst.

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Okay, Granger, I'm leveling with you here.  Let's just say this company is paying us to do a write up on them.  Make them seem more, shall we say, friendly to attract new business.  And I thought you were just the girl to do that.  Go on the interview, write the article, and if everything goes well, you might be writing front page news, Granger."

"I see." She said cautiously.

"This could do a lot for you, you know." 

"I know." 

"Then you realize that if you leak any of this information that you'll be working in the mailroom." He said, his voice taking on a dangerous tone.

"I understand completely."  


	2. A Misconstrued Interview

Author's Note:  I wasn't going to update so soon, but since I have 7+ chapters already written I decided why not.  In this chapter:  A mental breakdown, an interview, my awful attempt at a cliffhanger, and (finally) Draco Malfoy!  Sound good?  Okay, drum roll please... And now, without further ado, the greatly anticipated (hopefully) second installment of 'A Little Misunderstanding'! Enjoy! And, as always, please review.  It really does help.  And it might get chapter 3 out faster! :)  

Disclaimer:  This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc.  No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  

Chapter Two: A Misconstrued Interview 

Hermione Granger was shaking furiously as she walked down the sidewalk.  Her auburn hair was windblown and her eyes were large and had a terrified look in them.  Her lips were moving and whispered words were spilling from them as she wrung out her trembling hands.  She stopped dead in her tracks causing those walking behind her to bump into her.  She muttered the obligatory apology and slumped against the building to get out of harm's way.  

What could possibly be the reason for her complete nervous breakdown?  Oh, just a simple little piece of paper that her boss had given her on her way out.  On it was scrawled the address of the restaurant she was having the meeting at.

'The Blue Note 

_Noon_

_Mr. Draco X. Malfoy of Malfoy International'_

She was on her way to an interview, an interview with the Slytherin Prince himself, Draco Malfoy.  

()()()()()()()()()()

The Blue Note, she thought, yes, this is the place.  It was a muggle place.  The front of the restaurant was brick and lined with shaded windows so you couldn't get a very good look inside.  A sign proclaimed the eatery's title proudly in illuminated blue letters.  As she entered she noticed that a similar design was frosted on the glass door. 

Upon entering she took a look at the restaurant's interior.  Booths lined the windowed wall and the adjoining wall.  Opposite the windows was a bar and filling up the space between were tables.  Gracing the walls were framed black and white pictures of famous musicians.  Various jazz instruments were also tacked to the walls.  The restaurant buzzed with activity and Hermione found herself looking around the room to see if he had arrived yet.    

He was nowhere in sight.  Good, now she would have more time to prepare.  She took an empty booth by the windows so she could watch the sidewalk outside.  She tried to single him out through all of the hustle and bustle outside, but had no luck in doing so.  She only looked away when a waiter came over to her table to take her order.  

"Just a…" She was about to say butterbeer, but caught herself, "Could I just have a screwdriver for now?"  He nodded, saying something to the extent of 'of course'.  She watched him disappear behind the bar when she noticed a man with striking platinum blonde hair heading for her table.  For a moment she didn't realize it was Malfoy.  But once he got a little ways closer she couldn't deny that it was indeed her Hogwarts enemy.  

The years had treated him well, she thought.  He still had the familiar platinum blonde hair that was never out of place and his eyes were the same intense silver she remembered.  But he had… she couldn't put her finger on it.  He had... grown up?  Gone was his boyish appearance.  Now his features were sharp and chiseled and, she noticed, he had certainly not lost muscles he had gained from the long, brutal quidditch practices at Hogwarts.  He didn't have on a tie and the first two buttons of his shirt were undone.  His sleeves were rolled up halfway, revealing his toned forearms and hanging casually over it was his jacket.  His free hand was stuffed into his pocket giving a very nonchalant look to him.  She noted how well he looked in muggle clothing as he glanced around the room looking for her.  He spotted her quickly and strode over.   

When he reached the table, Hermione managed to stand up and hold out her hand for him to shake, as was customary at the beginning of interviews.  He took her hand, and then deadpanned. 

"Dear God, Granger, is that you?" He asked, shock present in his voice as she sat back down.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" She said, taking a sip of her drink and trying to keep herself calm and civil and levelheaded.  Yes, she must remain civilized to maintain the integrity and dignity of the paper and, more importantly, herself.    

"Yes, I believe it has." He replied, obviously taking a stroll down memory lane, and, even more obviously, not realizing he was still standing.  He returned his hands to his pockets, letting his eyes travel lazily from her head to her toes.    

He just couldn't believe that it was Hermione know-it-all Granger that was in front of him.  Her hair had calmed down since her school days and now fell in soft russet curls just beyond her shoulders.  Her eyes were still the same cinnamon brown that he remembered, but today they seemed to sparkle and gleam with life.  He was brought out of his daydream when he heard her speak.

"You can sit down now, Malfoy." Her voice cut through the air like a knife and he suddenly remembered why they were enemies in school.  He silently cursed himself for standing there like a fool and followed suit.  

"So, how are things?" He asked urbanely and Hermione gave him an odd look.  Where was the malicious comment?  The snide remark?  Maybe he had changed, she thought.  Maybe he wasn't the same self-absorbed, cruel, arrogant, stuck-up prat that he used to be.  Maybe he had matured —"Married to Potter yet?"— Or maybe he hadn't.  She rolled her eyes and let out a disgusted sigh.

"Harry and I are friends." She replied, amazed at how little it took from him to get under her skin and how he hadn't lost this technique.  "And anyway, he's not a very big part of my life anymore." She said, hoping that she sounded calm.  

"I see." He drawled, noticing the glint that had disappeared in her eyes at the mention of his name.  He then gave his drink order to the waiter, his voice sounding very blasé.

"So, let's get started, shall we?" 

()()()()()()()()()()

An hour and a couple of drinks later Hermione had just about finished up her questions.  She wanted nothing more than to get out of there, so when the check came she whipped out her wallet in record time, paying for her share of the bill.  

As they walked out, Hermione focused on the sidewalk while Draco was talking, not wanting to look at him, but was forced to when she answered.

"So, I'll have that rough draft to you in a week and…" She never got around to finishing the end of her sentence.  She was too distracted by the look of utter disbelief on Malfoy's face.  Her eyes narrowed as she glanced over her shoulder in the direction that he was so intent on staring.  

"Bloody hell," She heard him mutter, "She just won't leave me alone, will she?  I go to the muggle district just to get away from _her_ and she still follows me!" 

Hermione looked at him, confusion clearly written over her features.  Then when she threw a glance over her shoulder again she realized what, or rather who, he was hiding from.  

Pansy Parkinson.  

She was still easily recognizable; of course instead of her Hogwarts robes she had on flashy, and quite tacky, muggle clothing.  But, even out of her normal attire, she was still identifiable as Pug Face Parkinson.  

Then Draco turned to Hermione.  And, just as quickly as it came, the look of disgust was washed away.  His face brightened with what Hermione thought was an idea.  And before she knew it Draco's mouth was on top of hers, his lips crushed against her own, and his hand was resting on her waist.  He caught her so much off guard that she couldn't think straight.  All she could do was continue to kiss him. 

He didn't break away, but he could see Pansy leaving from the corner of his eye.  She could feel the corners of his mouth curving upwards in a smile.  And although he saw Pansy walking away, a disappointed look on her face, he couldn't for the life of him stop kissing Hermione.  

Oh god, what was taking over him?  This is Hermione Know-it-all Granger.  This is the disgusting, filthy little mudblood from Hogwarts, but he didn't know she could be this intoxicating.  The need for air was calling them both, but they only broke apart when they heard someone call out.  

"Hermione!" 


	3. A Mother's Misinterpretation

Author's Note:  Blah, short chapter.  Hopefully short but sweet.  I would have made it longer but it would have just taken away from the point I was trying to make and the feeling and mood I wanted to create.  But anyway, hope you enjoy!  Oh, and I couldn't forget to thank you all for the reviews... so, thanks go out to Storm610, Lisa, Popcorn Soup, mugglegirl, ckrfan, and mesmer!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Chapter Three: A Mother's Misinterpretation 

The first thought that ran through Hermione's mind was _Oh, God.  _The next, which reverted back to her Hogwarts days, was that either Harry or Ron had seen her and Malfoy in the, well, situation they were in.  

But no it was worse.  Much worse.   

"Mum…" Hermione managed, her face depicting just how shocked she was.

"I should go." Draco whispered into Hermione's ear.  She would have launched a verbal assault at him.  She would have slapped him like she did back in third year, but before she could reply he was off, walking down the sidewalk and getting lost in the crowd.

"Hermione?" Mrs. Granger asked and Hermione jumped.  She looked over at her mother, preparing for the worst lecture she had ever heard in her entire life.  

"Mum, I can explain…" Was all she could get out, as her extensive vocabulary was failing her.  She went to say more, but no words would come out.  Her mouth just hung open, until her mother said something.    

"Oh, Honey," She said, a warm tone replacing the surprised one, as she pulled her daughter into a affectionate hug, "You don't have to explain.  I just wished you would have told me sooner."  

"But, mum, you don't understand…" Hermione tried, but it was no use.  Her mother wouldn't listen.

"Oh, I understand, you didn't want to tell me because you thought I'd be upset.  But I'm not upset, Honey.  I'm so happy for you." She smiled, her eyes bright with motherly love, "Of course, I really wouldn't have expected to find out like this on my way home from Christmas shopping.  But it's better than not knowing at all.  Oh and speaking of the holidays, he'll be coming, won't he?"  Hermione's mother took her hand and gave it a hopeful squeeze as a good-natured glint appeared in her eyes.  

And when Hermione saw that glint she wondered if she could tell her mother the truth-- That she and Draco weren't together.  That he was just using her to get rid of pestering Pansy.  

Hermione took a moment to answer.  She couldn't disappoint her mother again.  Hermione's love life had been pretty much nonexistent after she broke up with David, a doctor at St. Mungo's, two years prior.  She convinced herself that work was more important and once she had secured her job she would have time to play the field.  

Hermione's Mum always wanted to fix her daughter up, but never had much luck since her Hermione was a witch and, well, she wasn't.  Whenever she would call, Hermione would have to let her down, telling her that, no, she hadn't found anyone yet.  And she didn't want to do that anymore.  She couldn't tell her the truth.  

Hermione gave her a smile and hugged her.

"Set another place at the table."      


	4. Owling the Enemy

Author's Note:  Yeah, Yeah.  I know, I know.  Another short chapter, and it's not my best work.  Go on, yell at me.  Complain.  Do whatever it is that you need to.  Just don't hate me.  More thanks go to Sylvan Tears, midnight solitaire, blackxrose, and babmidnight.  Oh and I've been noticing that my chapters sometimes don't show up on the drop down menu.  Sometimes FF.N drives me nuts!  So for further notice you might want to go to the web address bar and type "&chapter=" after the story ID address and then the next chapter number to check if it's not showing up.  Hopefully that wasn't too confusing.  Get it?  Got it. Good.  

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.                                                                                                                                                                         

Chapter Four: Owling the Enemy

Hermione sat, curled up in a nest of pillows, on the window seat in her flat.  She stared at the busy street below, then looked at the parchment settled on her lap, trying to concentrate.  

Without a doubt, this was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life.  How could she owl her former mortal enemy and ask him to spend the holidays with her family as her boyfriend?  She wasn't even sure if it were humanly possible at all!  She took a deep breath, telling herself she _had_ to start.

She had been putting it off all day.  She was going to write it at work in the morning, but told herself she had to get finished before her break.  She was going to write it on her lunch hour, but decided to go out with Elle for a bite to eat instead.  She was going to write it when she got back to the office after lunch, but she convinced herself that she would have enough time to do it at home.

And now she was at home.  She couldn't put it off any longer.  She had already changed into jeans and a sweater.  She watched the muggle news.  Hell, she even offered to walk her neighbor's dog.  

So, quill ready and poised in her hand, she touched the tip to the paper.  But how to begin?  She mentally scolded herself.  She was a journalist for the Daily Prophet, for goodness sake!  This should be easy for her, simple, definitely not as complicated as she was making it out to be.  Procrastination would get her nowhere, she told herself.  But the question still nagged her.  How to start?

Draco?  No, too informal.  Malfoy?  No, too… Hogwarts.  This caused her parchment to be blank for fifteen more minutes.  She realized that she had to send it soon.  And finally she decided on…

_D. Malfoy,_

_            Could you please meet me again at The Blue Note tomorrow at 6 o'clock?  I have something to ask you.  Please send owl with reply ASAP.   _

_                        -H. Granger_

It wasn't _too_ awful, but she had to send it now.  And it wasn't too personal either.  In fact, had the kiss not happened, it could have passed as her asking for another meeting to continue the discussion on the article.  She gave it one more read through then attached it to the owl she borrowed from Elle.  

And as she watched the owl fly out of her open window she knew there was no turning back now.


	5. An Interesting Proposal

Author's Note: This is the chapter I am most worried about people reading, because I feel that Hermione's argument is a little weak, and people will think that Draco would never agree, but although I don't tell you them now, Draco has reasons of his own. And new thanks go to blackxrose (Oh my gosh 2 reviews, and long ones at that.  I feel so honored. I'd like to thank the academy... oh, darn wrong thank-you's!), Jexi, FuMan Skeeto, Tabii (Yes, he is rather yummy!), sammyrose115, Til death due us part (No mistakes? Really? Let me print out your review and show it to my English professor!), & babmidnight (Glad you grasped her frustration.  That's really what I wanted to get across; that even though the whole thing hasn't started it's already causing her stress.) And now onto Ch. 5!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.                                                                                                                                                                        

Chapter Five: An Interesting Proposal****

Hermione was at The Blue Note a half an hour early.  She sat there, her drink in her trembling hand, trying to figure out exactly how to word what she was going to have to say.  Merlin, how would she tell him?  

She kept checking the clock on the wall and before she knew it the hour hand pointed to the twelve, indicating that he would soon be there.  No, she noted, he was already there.    

That was the quickest thirty minutes she had ever experienced in her entire life, she decided when she saw Draco enter the restaurant and head over to the booth she was sitting in.  And she still had no idea what to say to him.  

When he sat down she noticed that he had an uneasy look on his face, mind you it wasn't as uneasy as the one surely on her face, but uneasy none-the-less.  And for a moment she thought of Hogwarts.  She remembered how calm and collected he had always been.  But today was a different story and seeing him troubled, even though it was only slightly, made her feel a little bit better. 

"Granger," He started, not letting her get in a word edgewise.  That was happening a lot lately. "I know what you wanted to talk about."

"You do?"

"Yes.  And I wanted to…" He paused and Hermione knew he was having trouble with what he was going to say next, but he managed to get it out, if only just barely, "I wanted to… apologize."

"I thought I'd never see the day." 

"Well don't expect it to ever happen again." He said, turning back to his true Malfoy colors.  Hermione paused, liking this turn of events.  It gave her the catch, the loophole if you will, that she desperately needed.  She quickly turned on him.

"But, you see, that just won't do.  I just can't accept your apology." She said, taking interest in her nails, and trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.  She allowed for a moment of silence, making him sit it out, letting all of the possibilities, all of the worst case scenarios pass through his mind before she continued. Then when she figured she'd put him through enough, he head snapped up at her eyes met his. "I suppose you'll have to make it up to me somehow."

"What do you want?" He asked slowly and curiously, an eyebrow raised.

"I need a favor." She stated simply, looking down at her nails again, inspecting and once satisfied she folded them, and then went about explaining, "You remember my mother.  From yesterday."

He nodded slowly, "What about her?"

"Well, she got the impression that we were together."

"Well, what gave her that idea?" He drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, I don't know, Malfoy.  Could it be that you were snogging me in the middle of the street?" She accused, her tongue just as cynical. "Well, one thing led to another and now she's expecting you at the Granger Family Christmas Party."  She enjoyed watching the mix of expressions on his face.  

"There is no way I'm going to do that." He gave her a rather menacing glare.

"Oh come on, Malfoy, you owe me.  And it would keep you from Pansy, as I'm sure she'd be trying to spend the holidays with you."

"So you saw her?" He asked, slightly irked that he didn't really have to apologize in the first place.  

"Yes, I saw her." She paused, "And if you don't agree I might be forced to blackmail you."

"You make me laugh, Granger.  What would you have to blackmail _me_ with?" He leaned back into the cushy seat, crossing his arms across his chest and grinning like a fool, thinking he now had the upper hand in the argument.

"Oh I could print a nasty little article about how you were trying to buy yourself a good reputation through my newspaper!" She leaned across the table, wanting to see every you-wouldn't-dare look he was giving her. "And then who would want to do business Malfoy, Inc.?" She finished, innocently, as he seriously took this plan to thought.  

And then he said the most beautiful three words Hermione had ever heard.

"I'll do it."  


	6. Writing the Rules

Author's Note: Ok, just so you are warned: This is sort of a filler chapter.  Sort of, because it has some funny parts (or at least I think so) and some good interaction (even though they might be a little out of character) and emotional insight (as I haven't really expanded on the Draco side of the equation yet).  So it's not as bad as most.  It was a nice chapter for me to write.  And it's an actual -intentional- filler chapter.  Gasp!  I know.  An intentional filler chapter, you ask?  Yes, surprising but true.  But I have a reason.  I wanted to get away from the plot for a short while and take a breather, as the next few chapters will be full of plot advances.  

So many to thank... Jadoreorli, pretendingtobesane, blackxrose (Oh-no! Grr! Stupid computer.  That happened to me on my old piece of crap laptop. _ My apologies, girl.  Well hopefully my chapter can console you.  Well, the chapter and to quote you 'cookehz'!!), shedraconis, Dark Queen Rhyet, sweet_77_thang, zingy, Til death due us part, tungak, Cinammon, apple, Amanda (Thank you.  It makes –me- smile to hear that you smiled.  And you didn't write too much!), and ProudMudblood.  I think that was the longest A/N on record.  

Oh! Sorry for doing this, but if you have any free time would you check out my original stuff at Fictionpress.  Link is on my profile.  

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.                                                                                                                                                                        

Chapter Six: Writing the Rules

Hermione and Draco planned on meeting again at The Blue Note to sort out the… details before they set off to her parents' house.  Hermione was stuck at work, finally getting to the paperwork that she had been putting off.  She sent an owl to Draco telling him that she couldn't meet him at The Blue Note so he should stop by her flat at around seven-thirty.

When seven rolled around, Hermione decided that she should better get going.  She apparated to her flat, and then changed into something more comfortable.  After pulling on her favorite pair of jeans and a nice turtleneck sweater, she went into the kitchen to put on a kettle of tea.  

After she had the teakettle settled on the burner she heard a knocking at her door.  She walked over and opened it finding Draco standing there with his hands in his pockets, letting his silver eyes travel lazily from her head to her toe.

"Come in." She said, retreating to the kitchen, "Sorry about the carry over, I had a mountain of things to do at the office."

"It's quite alright," He replied in a businesslike tone, following her in towards her kitchen, "Anyways, I figured that since we are you know 'together' I probably should see your flat.  You know for reference."  The teakettle sounded, filling the room with a delightful whistle, signaling Hermione to move it off the hot burner, which she did.  

She turned, finding him casually leaning against the doorframe, and asked if he wanted a cup of tea.  He nodded and leisurely moved over towards the kitchen table and took a seat.  He languidly glanced around the room, taking in the new surroundings.  Her flat was cozy enough, eclectic really.  Nothing really matched, but everything seemed to fit.  Although he had never really given any thought to it before he assumed her home would be rather modern, with sleek and clean lines as she was, or so he assumed, a no-nonsense girl.  

And then he looked over at Hermione.  If someone had told him that one day he would have to be her faux boyfriend back when he was in Hogwarts, he would have hexed them without a second thought.  But now he was facing that reality.  He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard her speak.  

"Well, I suppose I should say a few things before we start." She said as she opened the top cupboard, and then moved to the bottom cabinet, opening that as well.  "You see, when I said Christmas Party, I didn't mean that it was just one day.  It's actually about a week.  We arrive the day before Christmas Eve and leave the day after New Year's." She said while stepping up on the inside ledge of the bottom cabinet to gain the few inches needed to reach the teacups.  

Draco was so amused by her way of retrieving the teacups that he didn't seem bothered by this new information.  She set them both down on the counter and closed both doors.  

"Um, what else?" She said absentmindedly, and then headed over towards the refrigerator.  She carefully climbed up onto the countertop to reach the jar of teabags that she kept on top of the freezer; retrieved two then hopped back down.  "Oh, were staying at my parents' house." She put one teabag in each cup and then poured water in each before she brought them over to the table.

Hermione then simply retrieved the milk and sugar and was about to set them on the table when she caught a glimpse of Draco's trademark grin.

"What?" She asked genuinely.  

"What, no daring, death defying maneuver to get the milk and sugar?" He asked, making her blush with embarrassment.  She tried to cover it with a smile.

"No," She paused, setting down what was in her hands, "And if I ever hear you making fun of me because I'm too short to reach things in my kitchen, I'll have to jinx you." His grin widened.  He wasn't sure why, but he noticed that his snide remarks were slowly being replaced by playful teasing.  And he wasn't dreading this at all.      

"So, anything else I need to know?"

"I think it's time to set down the ground rules." She decided as she took the seat opposite of him.  She took hold of her mug, forming her hands around it for warmth, and inhaled the steam.

"Ground Rules. Okay.  Shoot." He said, and took a sip of his tea.

"Number one." She said slowly, making sure he knew how important this rule was. "Now you have to understand that the entire believability of our relationship depends on this."

"Alright." He said, ready for what she had to say. "Go ahead."

She paused then said, "I take my tea with two sugars."    

"Are you serious?"

"Quite." She reassured him. "Maybe you should give it a whirl.  I can assess." He gave her a look that was a combination of disbelief and sarcasm that could mean nothing other that this-is-rule-number-one?  But he did as told and spooned in two sugars and stirred it to help it dissolve.

"Good?" He asked and she nodded.  "Well as helpful as that was, I was thinking we could go over some of the details.  You know, how long we've been seeing each other.  How we met.  What we like to do together.  Well, I mean what we like to do together that we can tell your folks about." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

"You are repulsive." She chastised.  Then realized that he was right, well except for the last implication.  "Well, no sense lying.  We knew each other in school and met recently through work."

"Not very romantic."

"I didn't think Malfoys were romantic." She defended herself, and then moved on,  

"Well, you kept owling, saying you wanted to talk about work… but you really just wanted to see me."

"And although you wouldn't admit it, you were ecstatic when I asked to see you again." Draco added a new rather self-important detail to the story.

"And the rest…" Hermione started, letting Draco finish.

"Is history."    

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione and Draco owled each other constantly; Draco asking things like what to pack and Hermione telling him little quirky things about her and her family that he should know if he was her boyfriend.

At many, well almost every, point she kept wondering why Draco was being so… so… civil.  And that question always made her think of why he was doing this for her.  Why was he going along with things so calmly?  

It couldn't just be the blackmail, because they both knew he had enough money to buy out the paper and write his own bloody article.      

And then she would wonder what he would think of her to be lying to her parents like that.  Well, of course, he probably didn't have a good relationship with his parents.  He probably lied to them all the time, well, while they were living anyway.  

She shrugged that unpleasant thought away.  And decided that, yes, it must be because of the blackmail.

When Hermione had suggested the plan to Draco, his obvious motive would be to save his company from blackmail, but deep down he knew it was more than that.  Sure, escaping Pansy for the holidays was an added bonus, but he knew why he was going along with it.

He wanted the one thing he never had.  Family.  Draco never had a happy Christmas.  There was never a twinkling Christmas tree in his house, never any holiday stockings, there were never any carols playing.  

And his future wasn't really looking much brighter.  Sure, he had the attention of countless women.  But did any of them really matter?  No.  He decided that a while ago.  He had his work.  But he knew that wouldn't substitute for what he was missing.  He had really given up on all of it.  

The world was cruel.  But he couldn't blame it.  He was cruel, and he realized his sins too late.  He was terribly lonely.  He had always been, and it looked as if that was how he would always be.  

But right now he had a chance at happiness.  That's why he was helping Hermione.  He wanted to be a part of that, even if it was only for a week...

...even if it wasn't real.  


	7. Putting the Plan in Action

Author's Note: Yeah, I feel bad about how short my chapters are.  It's just like that I like them to end them in certain places for a reason, not just because I felt like stopping there because I was too tired to type anymore.  Oh, and if anyone actually knows the real names for Hermione's parents, please let me know.  I 've read the books, but wanted to ask in case I missed it.  Since I had no clue I made up my own.  Yuk, quite a technical question-y A/N.  Blah. 

Now some thanks yous are in order... midnight solitaire, Axisha, HermlovesDraco (Tickle fight!), MyBlackWolves, lil-miss-devil, Cinammon (Heh, yeah he deserves a million bowls of soup!), Amanda (Oh my gosh, you don't ramble!  I love long reviews.  Thanks for the kind words.  I thought everyone would hate me for making Draco seem a little softer.), blackxrose (You better write that chapter or I will sic your brothers on you!  Nothing like a threat to get the creative juices flowing!), Jexi (Thank you for the constructive criticism.), babmidnight (Yeah, sorry that I didn't mention it.  It is december.  Draco and Hermione will arrive at her parents the day before Christmas Eve. Thought I put it in there.) , apple, Keli Lyn, pretendingtobesane, ProudMudblood, and shedraconis.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.                                                                                                                                                                        

Chapter Seven: Putting the Plan in Action****

****

"So, are you ready?" Hermione asked Draco, as she turned off the ignition of her car.  Hermione decided that they should drive, as it was a muggle part of town and it would be more convenient.  And, as a plus, it would give them more time to go over every part of their charade.  By the time they arrived the sky had darkened and the rumbling in their stomachs signaled that it was just about time to eat.

He nodded, indicating them to walk to the front door.  As they got out and headed up the front path, Draco noticed the worried look on Hermione's face and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.  Hermione looked up at him, taken aback at this kind gesture.  She certainly never would have expected that from Draco Malfoy, the Dark Prince of Slytherin.  And, truthfully, Draco was a little surprised as well.  It seemed as if his Pureblooded attitude was on hiatus.  He did a complete one eighty and it shocked the both of them.  It was almost as if they were becoming friends.  It seemed too far-fetched to believe, so they didn't, pushing the idea out of their minds, and just concentrated on what was at hand.           

Hermione took a deep breath, her free hand hanging in the air, fingers trembling as she rang the bell.  She stole another glance at Draco while they were still alone.  He looked as suave as ever.  Not a silver hair on his head was out of place.  He had on a smart jumper and khakis.  She was just about to evaluate the look on his face when the front door opened, revealing her father in the front hallway.  

"Dad," She smiled, releasing Draco's hand to hug her father.  

"How's my little girl?" He asked as he let her go and he moved back giving the 'couple' room to step into the house.  

"Great." She paused, "So let me do the introductions.  Dad, this is Draco Malfoy, my boyfriend…" The word tasted foreign in her mouth and she wondered if that's how it sounded to Draco. "Draco, my dad." Draco found him to look quite as he expected.  Of average height, salt and pepper hair, glasses, which were probably used mostly for reading.  The only difference was that his eyes were bluish green, not the chocolate brown Draco had been anticipating.

"It's great to finally meet you, Mr. Granger." Draco said, giving Hermione's father a firm handshake. "Hermione's tole me so much about you."

"I wish I could say the same about you.  And, please, call me Peter." He said before returning his attention to his daughter again. "Your mum is in the kitchen.  She's been baking all day.  Couldn't tear her away from the stove for a minute because everything has to be perfect because you're coming home." The father and daughter both shared a laugh at her mother's typical busy-bodied cooking.

"Then we'd better say hello already." Hermione said and Peter led the way to the kitchen, letting his daughter and her boyfriend follow.  As they made their way to meet Hermione's mother, Draco took a good look at the house.  The hallway walls were painted a warm and inviting taupe.  To the left was the stairway, to the right was a doorway leading to a sitting room.  Family portraits hung on the walls in clusters depicting the Grangers through the years.  

As they continued down the hall they passed more doors, probably the closet and bathroom, Draco assumed.  Nearing the end of their walk he noticed that towards his left was the dining room.  Candles and a floral centerpiece were proudly displayed on the table.  He presumed that today and Christmas Eve was just for Hermione and her parents to catch up and the rest of the family would be coming on the twenty-fifth.  

The kitchen wasn't very large, but it wasn't very small either.  It was just as the rest of the house was: warm and cozy.  There was a small round table off to one side that could fit five (six if you squeezed) and at the moment it was covered with trays of every variety of cookie you could imagine.  

Hermione's mother was just checking on the pies in the oven when they entered.  When she noticed the three of them she immediately closed the oven door and hurried over to hug her daughter.  Draco noted, amusedly, that she had neglected to take off the oven mitts she was wearing in the excitement of her daughter's arrival.  

While mother and daughter embraced, Draco took in her appearance as well.  He had a brief look at her when she saw them outside The Blue Note, but was able to get a closer one now.  She was short, and now Draco saw where Hermione had gotten _that_ trait.  She had light brown hair that was kept short and her eyes were almost the same cinnamon brown that Hermione's were.  They parted and once again, Hermione did the introductions ("Mum, this is Draco Malfoy.  And Draco, this is my mum, Diane").  She left out the boyfriend part, seeing as her mother had already seen them, well, together. 

By then she had shed the oven mitts and she gave Draco a hug.  It wasn't awkward, as Hermione had anticipated, but it almost seemed normal.  Draco then returned to Hermione's side and slipped his arm around her waist for good measure.   

"Well," Diane said, reveling in her daughter's newfound love, "the pies should be ready in a few minutes.  I'll set them out to cool and then we can go out to dinner."

()()()()()()()()()()

Peter had disappeared somewhere while Diane was fussing over a batch of cookies and Hermione pulled Draco aside in the hall.

"So, how'd I do?" He asked casually, leaning against the wall. 

"Fine.  Why don't you go freshen up, or I don't know, whatever it is that you Malfoys do." She received a smirk at that, before continuing, "The bathroom is the second door on the left.  I'll help my mum finish up in the kitchen and then we'll go out to eat.  I think my parents made reservations." 

"Alright." He said, nodding and heading to the bathroom.  

Things were going well, he thought.  He was dodging blackmail, hiding out from Pansy, and spending the holidays with nice people, even if they were muggles (old habits die hard).  Nobody suspected anything either.  

The more time he spent with Hermione the more he couldn't understand why he hated her in their school days.  She was kind, sweet, and warmhearted and whenever he saw her there was a smile on his face.  This was what he always wanted.

()()()()()()()()()()

Peter drove, Diane was in the front passenger seat and Hermione was in the back with Draco.  The car ride was quiet, nobody felt like talking.  Hermione's dad was busy trying not to get lost in the snow, Diane was fiddling with the radio until she found a station with Christmas carols, and both Hermione and Draco were reflecting on what had happened and were thinking about what was going to happen.

Hermione's parents had made reservations at a family-run, yet upscale restaurant.  When they entered Peter gave the hostess their name while everyone shed their coats, Draco helping Hermione' with her's.  She smiled at him, then scanned the room, taking it all in.  She found it rather charming.  The lights were dimmed; white linen tablecloths donned each table where the flickering of tiny candles could be seen.  

They were seated at a table near one of the walls and Hermione admired the paintings adorning them.  

Dinner was as Hermione and Draco suspected.  After they had ordered they all began chatting about what was new in their lives.  They talked about Hermione's work at the newspaper and the cruise that Granger's had just gotten back from a two weeks ago.  

When Hermione's mother asked about Draco's job, Hermione answered for him, saying that he was a businessman and ran his own company.  Hermione knew that, like so many other things in her magical life, her parents wouldn't understand what Draco's company was about, so she just added that he was very successful instead.  The Granger's both commented on that, saying how wonderful that was.  

It was all going rather well.  Well, it was going rather well so far.  Hermione was chewing some of her baked potato when the inevitable happened.  

"So, how did you two meet?" Hermione wasn't sure which parent had asked, she was too busy trying to remember the story that she and Draco had gone over.  What was wrong with her?  She had lied before, being friends with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley had taught her that.  With all the adventures they had gone on, the only thing she _could_ do was lie about certain things.  But this was different.  This was her parents.   

"We knew each other at Hogwarts…" Draco started, noticing that Hermione had lost her voice.  When she heard him speak, she realized that she had spaced off a bit, and picked up the story where he had let off (after a encouraging sip of wine, of course.).  

"But we met up recently because of work.  I was interviewing him for the paper for the business section." 

"I must admit, we didn't get to many of the questions, we were having such a good time chatting about old times." Draco added, giving the parents a charming smile.  Hermione felt him take her hand, giving her the encouragement she needed to go on.

"Well, then he owled me about another meeting and we've been together ever since."  Hermione finished, leaving her mother with a happy smile and a tear in her eye.  Dinner went on quite nicely after that.  The conversation didn't touch upon Draco and Hermione's relationship again.  Instead they talked about everything but, which included the weather, the hectic Christmas shopping, and the rest of the Holiday plans.  

()()()()()()()()()()

When they got back Hermione helped her mother in the kitchen, packing cookies in festive holiday tins, when Diane pulled her daughter aside.

"Why don't you let me finish up here and you and Draco can take a walk." Hermione smiled at her mother's wishful thinking.

"Alright.  Dad's probably putting him through the ringer anyway."

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione put on her heather gray jacket and her new burgundy scarf.  Draco had on a dark brown, buttery-soft leather coat, which he looked quite dashing in.  

The snow crunched beneath their feet as they walked and their breath was visible in the cold winter air.  Each house was illuminated with Christmas lights and it made for a rather romantic walk.  

Well, it would have been romantic if she and Draco were really together.  And in the back of her mind something told her that she wished they were.  

"Draco?" Hermione broke the silence.

"Hmm?" He replied, not taking his eyes from the lighted houses.  He smiled at the house they were just passing.  It's front window framed a picturesque view of a decorated Christmas tree.  

"I wanted to say thank you." She paused, "It's really very kind of you to be doing this for me." 

"You blackmailed me, remember?" He joked.  There was something in her eyes that made it hard for him to answer her seriously.  He knew nothing was real here, but he couldn't help it.  He kept getting lost in all of the holiday spirit.  When he looked at her he wasn't sure what he was feeling.  He was getting mixed emotions from this situation.  Every time she smiled at him he had to tell himself that it was just an act.  He had to tell himself that it wasn't real.

"Well, thanks just the same." She said, despite his teasing, "The Park is just up there, if you wanted to go see it."

"That would be nice." He said and when they reached the park Draco wiped off a seat on the swing set and motioned for Hermione to sit.  She did so willingly, putting her mitten-ed hands on the ropes that supported it.

"You know, my mum really likes you." She paused as Draco pushed the swing gently, "Dad too, I bet."

"I'm not so sure, he really gave me an inquisition while you were cleaning up in the kitchen." He laughed, avoiding the subject again by teasing her, the swing slowing to a stop.  Hermione could feel Draco's hands resting on the ropes and she reached hers up to meet them.  She leaned back and looked up, seeing Draco's upside down face, and laughed.  They stayed like that for a good fifteen minutes before Hermione suggested that they better be getting back.

"We still have to unpack." 

()()()()()()()()()()

On their way back they stopped at the car to get their bags.  Hermione threw a small one over her shoulder and was about to take another large one when Draco offered to carry the rest.  

Mrs. Granger opened the front door for them and when Draco asked which room he should put their things in, she replied, "The last door on the right."  Hermione knew that the last door on the right was her old room.  She started up the stairs and then came to a startling realization.  

She and Draco would be sharing a room.


	8. Sleeping Arrangements

Author's Note:  Hello all!  Yeah, I know. I've made you wait longer than I usually do for an update, but the new chapter is finally here.  I had it completely done and ready to post a while ago then had a brainstorm and totally revamped the whole chapter outline.  To add more –heh heh- sexual tension.  Yeah, so anyone who is missing the normal Draco 'I'm-devilishly-handsome-and-I-know-it' attitude should be pleased to see that it has returned for a little bit.  I felt that it was getting a little bit sappy, so I wanted to lighten the situation a little bit.  And to explain a little more...  Draco is in the mindset that he should just enjoy the whole situation while it lasts.  Hope you don't find any of them totally out of character.  I feel that this is my weakest chapter so far so don't shoot me... _ 

Thanks go out to:  Mesmer, pretendingtobesane, shedraconis (Here's more, more, more!!), babmidnight, Sanna (Yeah, when I was writing it I wasn't sure which it was.  Your reason made a lot of sense so I went back and changed it. :p  Thanks.  Oh, and to answer why her parents let them both stay in the same room... Hermione says a little bit about it in the chapter, but I figured that her parents just trust her enough to let her stay with her 'boyfriend'.  Her dad probably still has one eye on Draco, though!!), HermlovesDrco, Jexi (Thanks.  Your interest in not only my story but also my writing style is much appreciated.  And you don't sound like a teacher! ^_^), Amanda (Yeah.  They seem to be falling for each other.  But there is still a lot of doubt and complications.  Isn't that how it always is between these two?), Terin Kail, blackxrose (Glad that you noticed.  I took a while to plan out everyone's motives so that it would all be plausible and not just Draco saying: "Hmm, I'm bored, so okie dokie I'll go along with it."), super sycoh (Aww, don't say that.  I'm sure your story will be great!! Not that it isn't already wonderful!!).    

I rated this PG-13.  Let me know if you think the rating should go up or down at any point.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. ----- Chapter Eight: Sleeping Arrangements 

Hermione normally loved coming home to visit her parents, but this trip was proving to be rather traumatic.  She usually loved staying in her old room; it always gave her good memories of her school days, but the idea of her sleeping on the same bed with Draco unnerved her.   

When Hermione entered her childhood bedroom, she found Draco rummaging through his luggage for something.  She really didn't feel like speaking to him quite yet and was pleased that there was something to distract him.  

She looked around and smiled, taking in her surroundings and forgetting her worries for a moment.  Her room at her parents' house was not too different from her bedroom at her flat except for the color scheme.  This room was done in a sage green.  The floor was hardwood, as most of floors in the rest of the house were.  She had two windows, both of which were adorned with misty green curtains and sheers.  Covering her bed was a striped quilt, each fabric a different shade of muted green or tan.  Hey eyes then traveled over towards her rather hogwarts-y looking armchair when...  

She was jolted from her nostalgic walk down memory lane when Draco looked up at her, finally noticing and acknowledging her presence.  

"Hey," He greeted, his voice somewhat preoccupied, "I was just looking for the…" He never got around to finishing his sentence; he was too diverted by the look on Hermione's face.  "Something the matter?" 

"Oh nothing, just nerves." She said, quickly thinking up a believable lie, masking what she was really thinking about. "I've never really lied to my parents before." 

"Well, you're just doing it for them." He said, trying to sound comforting.  

"Yes, I suppose you're right." She said, not really focusing on their conversation.  Her mind was elsewhere, and rightly so.  How was she supposed to tell him, Draco Malfoy, that he would have to share a room with her?  Share a bed with her?  Oh, merlin, how could she tell him that?  Well, she couldn't, at least not then.  She managed to look over at him for a moment, just to say, "Why don't you get ready for bed?  And I'll go downstairs and say goodnight for us."  And with that she slipped out of the room, not waiting for a reply.  

She started down the stairs, her mind racing, her heart beating a mile a minute.  There was no way to describe how incredibly stressed Hermione was feeling at that moment.  She had her breaking point, and she was way past it now.  She thought it was bad just having to interview Draco Malfoy. Now she had to sleep with him!  She stopped and shook her head.  Sleep next to him, she corrected herself.  Next to him.  Next to Draco Malfoy.  Next to the most deliciously handsome man she had even known.  Okay, Hermione, stop.  Stop.  Concentrate.  Right.  Okay, she told herself, trying to be as calm as she could possibly be and continued down the stairs.   

Back in her room, Draco shrugged it off deciding that Hermione was just nervous, that's all.  He smiled to himself, as he changed into his sleepwear.  Actually, in his opinion, she was doing rather well, considering the situation.  He remembered her being a lot more uptight at school.  After Draco changed into pajama bottoms and a tee shirt he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.  

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione had said goodnight to her parents from the both of them, but it did nothing to ease her nerves.  She slowly made her way upstairs and, after checking her room to make sure it was empty, she quickly changed into her normal pajamas, which consisted of a simple camisole and red pajama bottoms.

She headed over to the bathroom.  The door was slightly ajar and light spilled out from it.  She knocked lightly on the door and heard Draco tell her that it was 'safe' to enter. 

Hermione smiled and walked over to the double sink and turned on the tap, letting the water run over her toothbrush.  They stood side by side, both brushing their teeth; both sneaking what they hoped were unnoticed glances at each other.  

She stole a fleeting look at him and noticed that his Draco's was slightly disheveled.  Probably from getting changed, she supposed and tried to suppress a rather school-girlish smile at the mental picture.  God, she was acting giddy.  She mentally scolded herself, but was interrupted when her eyes met the reflection of his in the mirror.  She couldn't mask this grin, so she looked away, rinsing her mouth. 

Draco grinned at her actions.  Now he understood what was going on with her.  She wasn't just nervous about lying to her parents.  She was nervous around _him_... and he liked that.  Maybe she was stating to feel something for him.  Hopefully, he thought.  

And he almost felt as if they were back in Hogwarts.  He remembered taunting her back then and he felt it was high time to take a little stroll down memory lane. How he loved to get a rise out of her.  She was rather cute when she was angry.  He'd taunt her for a while.  Of course this would be a little different.  Things had changed, and they weren't exactly like they used to be when they were in school.  

His eyes sparkled with silent laughter as she made a move to leave.  On his way out he brushed past her, his hand brushing the small of her back.  At the contact, she let out a small yelp of surprise.  He wouldn't trade the surprised look on her face for anything else in the world.   

()()()()()()()()()()

When she entered her room, he was gazing at her intently.  As a cat would as it watched its prey.  She felt rather intimidated.  His grey eyes seemed to swallow her up.  She quickly looked away and took a deep breath, inhaling sharply.  She felt it was as good a time as ever to explain.  

Her voice was rather tense at first and she felt quite strange talking about this.  She just sped up her words, blurting out an explanation.  

"My mother gave us my old room, and seeing as we're a 'couple' I couldn't say anything.  She said my cousin and her husband are going to be staying in the guest room for the rest of the holiday so it would just be easier for you to stay in here.  So you wouldn't have to move your stuff." She clarified, zipping up her suitcase and trying to keep him from seeing the nervous look in her eyes.  

"That makes sense," He replied languidly, a knowing smile upon his face.  He watched as she sat down on the edge of the bed, her back rigid and her shoulders tight.  

"Yeah," She mumbled, trying to dodge his ever-present gaze that seemed to be boring into her at every moment.  He couldn't make this easy could he?  No, he had to draw it out.  He _had _to tease her, she thought.  He _had_ to put her through this agony.  Now, this reminded her of the Malfoy from school, except now it had to be a million times worse.  This time she couldn't just shrug it off.  She was starting to like him.  Her heart was involved.  She knew she shouldn't have let herself fall, but she had.  She was brought out of her thoughts when he sat down on the bed next to her.  

He was clearly amused by her jumpiness, enjoying every minute of her inner frustration.  He brushed his hand against hers teasingly, before deciding that he had tormented her enough.  

She looked down at his hand, snatching hers away.  She wanted him to stop, because she knew that this was just a fantasy and she would not let herself indulge in something that would be gone soon enough, or was never real to begin with.  And yet, the look in his eyes, the sound of his voice, every little thing about him made her want to believe that it all could be real.  She couldn't think straight around him.  And this situation was starting to make her head ache... 

Then he said seven words that made everything all right.

"Well, I'll just sleep on the floor."   

()()()()()()()()()()

Draco spent the night on the floor.  Hermione felt awful, and in the morning assured him that she would switch places with him that night, but he would have none of it.  They took turns in the bathroom, as Hermione was feeling quite uncomfortable around him, but were dressed and ready rather early.  Right then, they were both sitting at the foot of her bed.      

"So, are you ready?" She asked, not making eye contact.  She tapped her foot on the floor, then against his.  

"I think so." He grinned, his eyes shining as they met hers, "Two sugars, right?"  


	9. A Romp in the Snow and Mistletoe

Author's Note:  I feel the need to apologize for last chapter.  I felt like you all had higher hopes for it and I let you guys down, so I figured that I could try and make it up to you with a quicker-than-usual update.  Okay so in this chapter Draco and Hermione kiss!  Oh yeah!  I knew you were waiting for it.  -Wonders how many reviewers will be dancing.-  Anywho, This is a pretty long chapter.  Just over six pages in word.  You should be pleased.  Yeah, I hated the last chapter, obvious reasons.  This one should be better.  And I actually got some more writing for later chapters completed, so update should be frequent and regular, hopefully!!  Okay, sorry about the long A/N... do read on!     

Thank you guys for all of the wonderful reviews.  I swear I post a new chapter and when I get home the next day I have all of these compliments and stuff.  So thanks to you all!!  I really appreciate it.  Okay so now the list:  Lady Paine (Well, Draco has feelings for her, but he's not sure of himself and with all the mixed signals he's a little confuzzled.), Miss.Hermione.G-Malfoy (Yeah, I didn't proofread as much as I should have on that last one.  Perhaps I'll post a better edit later.  I don't have the time now, I'm too busy updating.  I'm sure that will console you.), shedraconis (Yes, we all need a little fluff sometimes, even if it is my horribly written fluff.), marba50 (I love how you put that!! Sandpaper and plastic!!  Awesome.  That would make a really cool one-shot idea if you expanded on it.), midnight solitaire (You get my longest response!  I knew I'd get that comment from someone and I do agree with you.  I know he has good intentions, but I think that Hermione would be rather uncomfortable with it, at least right then she would.  If you remember, they've only just been at her parents' for one day, she is a little stressed.  I wanted to draw it out longer, I have something in mind for later that wouldn't work if I had them in the same bed now.  It's more emotional stuff than plot.  Gosh that was long.  Sorreh.), Jexi, Sparkles3, babmidnight (I don't know about the tapping.  Just something I imagine her doing.  I don't like when a character is just sitting and not doing something.  I was out at B & N when I was brainstorming for that chapter and I saw a girl tapping her foot.  Subliminal messages.), mesmer (Glad I made you giddy!), sweet_77_thang, pretendingtobesane, and last but not least KrisKG.  And sorry if anyone else reviewed and I missed them. It takes a day for my chapters to show up on the FF.N system and I sometimes miss one or two reviews.  

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. ----- Chapter Nine: A Romp in the Snow and Mistletoe 

Diane decided to make Hermione's favorite thing for breakfast, as there were no objections.  So while everyone was eating their French toast, Hermione's father announced that they'd be getting the Christmas tree that morning.  He would always say it like that, every year, like it was some big surprise.  But everyone knew, or at least every Granger knew that it was a Family Tradition to pick out a tree on Christmas Eve and then decorate it later that night.  

So once everyone was done eating their breakfast and drinking their tea (and, yes, Draco did make Hermione's for her) they went to get ready.  

Draco was the second to enter their room and he found Hermione flinging items from her bag, obviously in search of something.  

"I know I packed them." She said to no one in particular, as she threw a tube of toothpaste over her shoulder, almost hitting Draco, had he not been watching. "Where are they?" She asked again just before she flung a hairbrush behind her, which Draco caught.

He grinned and crouched down beside her and whispered in her ear, "I don't know.  What are you looking for?" She jumped a mile in the air, figuratively of course.

"Don't do that again." She warned from her spot on the floor and he gave her a playful innocent look that clearly meant 'Do what?' "I can't find my boots." He then stood up and sat on the edge of the bed closest to her.

"Well that's no reason to throw things." He said, and then received an embarrassed smile from Hermione as she took the various items from him and set them back in her bag.  "Anyway, they're in the car, aren't they?  So they wouldn't muck up your clothes." 

"Oh." She said simply, hoping she had covered the sheepish smile that threatened to form on her face, "I knew that." 

"So if _you're_ looking for boots I better put mine on." He said and went over to the inside of their door grabbing the shoes from behind it and pulling them on. "Where exactly are we getting a tree from?"  

"Oh, one of my dad's patients owns a tree farm so we get one for free every year as a thank you gift." She smiled and then led the way downstairs.

Draco stood at the top of the stairs for a moment longer than Hermione.  This whole trip was so confusing.  It hurt him when he knew everything she said was a lie.  That the smiled that she gave him the night before at dinner was forced.  That she didn't care about him.  

He shook his blonde head and tried to rid his mind of that rather unpleasant notion as he started down the stairs.  He decided that he shouldn't concentrate on the reality of this situation.  If he played along and didn't think about it, he would feel better.  Yes, he decided, just don't think about it.  Live it as if it were real.

()()()()()()()()()()

Everyone hit the downstairs closet to get bundled up before they went outside to face the winter winds.  Hermione was the last one ready, securing her scarf around her neck and pulling on a matching hat which Draco thought made her look rather adorable, but he wouldn't admit that.    

They decided on taking Hermione's car as it handled better in the snow and they were all just about to walk outside when Draco felt Hermione tugging on his arm.  

"What?" He asked then noticed her wiggling her socked feet.  And with that he scooped her up and carried her to the car, all the way joking about how he might just drop her, which made her tighten her hold on him.  He was grinning madly at her and she nestled in closer towards him.

She realized rather quickly that she liked being carried and was disappointed when he plopped her down in the car.  She scooted over to the left seat as he took the one next to her, closing the door behind him.  

After she pulled on her boots she buckled herself in and was quite content to watch the white snowy scenery whizzing by as her father drove happily down the road.  

During the ride, Draco stole a few glances at Hermione.  Her eyes were shining as she was reveling in holiday spirit.  He knew he was supposed to be acting and not thinking about it but he couldn't help himself.  He kept going through this whirlwind of emotions.  It all felt real.  He knew it wasn't, but for some reason, like when he carried her to the car, he almost believed that everything was real.  And he found himself wishing it were.    

()()()()()()()()()()

Before they knew it they had just passed the sign, signaling them that they had arrived at Stevenson's Tree Farm.  Peter found a nice parking spot and everyone got out of the car.  They all took the gravel road that winded up past the house and the barn, whose red paint stood out as a bright contrast to the white snow.  Draco found himself reaching out and taking Hermione's hand as they walked.  And as he did he felt a surge of warmth that he had never felt before flow throughout him.  It coursed through his veins and he never wanted to let go.  

They met Joe at the barn and he gave Peter a handsaw and bid them on their way.  As they continued down the road the sparse scattering of trees soon grew into a think forest.  Hermione's pace quickened and she dropped Draco's hand, much to his disappointment.  But when she tapped him on the shoulder, calling out, "You're it", his smile returned.  He chased after her down the gravel path for a ways until she dashed into the trees, leaving him to follow her.

Peter and Diane smiled at their antics, but kept walking at a leisurely pace, leaving the game to the young 'couple'.

Draco was searching for Hermione through the trees.  He could hear the snow crunching under his feet, but he could also hear the snow that was crunching underneath her's.  He darted past tree after tree until he caught a glimpse of her brightly colored scarf.  Then all of a sudden he stopped and everything was quiet.  She wasn't moving, he knew that much.  He silently moved behind one of the trees and saw her through the branches.  He noiselessly circled it until he was beside her.  

Tapping her on the shoulder he said, "Now you're it!" before running off, Hermione close on his tail.  They both ran for a good minute or two before Draco wondered is she'd ever catch up to him.  He threw a glance over his shoulder and because he wasn't looking he tripped over a branch that was hidden beneath the snow. 

Hermione found him lying on the ground and stopped, looking down at him with a gleeful grin on her face.  

"Pitiful really," She said, trying to keep up her mock scornful attitude as laughter threatened to break through.  "A fine wizard like yourself can't even play a simple game of tag."  She finished, and then held out her hand to help him up, but he had other plans.  

"Oh, pitiful, am I?" He asked playfully.  When he took her hand, Draco pulled her down on top of him.  This sent them into another bout of hysterics, and when their laughter subsided to a quiet chuckle Hermione found this situation a little, no, a lot awkward.  But he was just staring up at her, and for the first time she could detect a hint of blue in his eyes.  

Alarm bells should have been going off in her head at that moment, but they were silent then.  She didn't know what was happening to her.  This is a lie, she told herself as he brushed the side of her face lightly.  It's not real; she tried to convince herself as his hand settled itself at the nape of her neck drawing her ever closer.  But something in his eyes said differently, and they were close enough that Hermione could feel his warm breath on her lips when…

"Hermione, Draco.  Where are you?  We think we've found a keeper."      

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione closed her eyes, groaning silently at her parent's inopportune moment to show up.  She knew she had to get up, but did not want to in the slightest.  This time when she held out her hand Draco took it and got up.  Peter cut down the tree and Draco helped him carry it back.  And for that Hermione was glad, she didn't want to face him right then.

He just got caught up in the moment, Hermione thought.  He didn't really want to kiss her.  He was just so busy acting that he forgot that they were alone.  Right, that must have been it, Hermione rationalized.   

Hermione wasn't the only one glad for the separation between them.  Draco was silently cursing himself for almost kissing her.  She would never feel the same way about him.  Everything was all just a big lie.  If something had happened she would never believe that he had really meant it and it wasn't just pretense.  He would just have to remember that it was an act.  She could never love him.

The car ride back was silent and neither Draco nor Hermione dared to look at each other.

()()()()()()()()()()

Back at the Grangers', Peter and Draco were lugging the tree inside and trying furiously to get it to stand up right.  Diane and Hermione were in the kitchen making some hot cocoa and putting a selection of cookies on a tray.

"You know, Hermione, I really like him.  And he really loves you." Diane smiled as she popped some marshmallows into the steaming mugs, and then looked over at her daughter, her eyes shining. "You've made me so happy." 

Hermione tried her best to give her mother a convincing smile, even though she felt her eyes welling with tears.

"We'd better bring these in." Hermione said, glad for the distraction so she could wipe her eyes.

()()()()()()()()()()

Upon entering the ladies found that the tree was looking rather straight and Peter had begun stringing the white twinkle lights.  This job was always assigned to Hermione's father as, 1) Diane made sure that he had to participate, and, 2) he found that stringing lights was a manlier job than hanging ornaments.

After the tree was illuminated Diane and Hermione started hanging the ornaments and Draco found himself sitting on one of the armchairs in the room, mug in hand, unable to take his eyes off Hermione.

Time seemed to fly by and the tree was almost entirely decorated.  The only thing that was missing was the star to top it all off.  Hermione searched the ornament box and found it way at the bottom.  She took it out of its protective wrapping and looked down at it, smiling.  She was always the one to add the star.  When she was younger her father would help her add it to the top, now that she was older she would climb up on a chair to gain the height she needed.  

But on this Christmas Eve, Draco got up silently, without being asked, picking up Hermione and they added the star together.   

()()()()()()()()()()

They all remained around the tree exchanging stories until late in the night.  Finally, around eleven o'clock, everyone decided to head up to bed.  Hermione and Draco stood at the foot of the stairs, saying goodnight to her parents.  Hermione watched her mother expectantly waiting for her to return the sentiment, but she received none, as Diane was distracted.  She was smiling and looking at something over their heads… literally.

They both looked up and dangling above them tied in gold and red ribbon was a bunch of mistletoe.  They both quickly averted their eyes from it.    

"Hermione, you don't…" Draco whispered into her ear, only loud enough for her to hear, but she quickly shook her head and smiled.

"No, It's perfectly alright…" Draco looked down at her, surprised; even though he knew at one point or another this charade would probably include a public kiss between them. But he was surprised none-the-less.  

She stood up on her tiptoes, fully intending on just giving him a quick peck on the lips, but when his lips lowered onto hers she found herself wanting to kiss him so badly.  The kiss was gentle and sweet, alluring and surely addictive.  

When Draco was kissing Hermione under the mistletoe, he had a mix of emotions running through him.  He liked kissing her.  Loved it.  Wanted to kiss her whenever he wanted.  Then, secondly, he realized that he couldn't, he'd never be able to.  She was only kissing him because they were a 'couple' and they had to.

After a few moments they parted.  Hermione muttered a "G'night," to her parents if they were still there.  She didn't wait around long enough to find out.  She ran upstairs grabbing her pajamas and locking herself in the bathroom not wanting to face him.  

 ()()()()()()()()()()

Draco rolled over trying to find a comfortable position on the uncomfortable cold, wooden floor.  But it wasn't only the floor keeping him awake, his mind was on the girl sleeping in the bed next to him.  He finally decided to get up, his back aching, and sat in her small armchair.  

He watched her slumbering form, wishing he didn't have to sleep on the floor.  Wishing that he really were a part of all of this.  But, most of all, wishing that he could kiss her for real.  Not just when there was mistletoe above them.

He knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, so he quietly moved over to his suitcase.  Buried at the bottom were the Christmas presents that he and Hermione decided to give each other.  She got him a new sweater and he bought her a new set of leather bound books.  He put the two presents in his arms, figuring he'd put them under the tree.  Draco looked down at them, a halfhearted smile on his face.  

Yes, he decided.  He had made up his mind.  He quietly put the box containing the books back inside his suitcase, and took the box holding the sweater and carried it downstairs, setting it beneath the tree.  Then he hurried back upstairs, needing to get some more wrapping done.


	10. Like a Part of the Family

Author's Note: Okay. This chapter took me a long long while to revise to get just right, since it's just a whole bunch of little scenes and I wanted nice clinchers and stuff, which I'm not all that good at. That and summer is just around the bend and I'm not much in a Christmas mood. Yeah, well, I'm going to post this now and then get straight to work on the next chapter. So I hope you enjoy it, because I'm relieved that it's done. In this chapter the whole sleeping-on-the-floor bit comes into play for some comic relief. And I want to say how extremely sorry I am for making you guys wait so long for an update and a rather awful one at that. Oh and a special thanks goes out to my good friend Meg who helped me get through some of the more tedious parts of this chapter.

Thanks: Super sycoh, xmaverickf14x, cafedesamis, Chillkroete, ungojos, Cinnamon (Aww, what a nice review! I actually thought of the whole plot last Christmas. I was just thinking about how different Christmas time is from normal day-to-day routines. And I thought that Christmas till New Years would be a very romantic time to fall in lurve. ), Miss.Hermione.G-Malfoy (Thanks for adding me to your favorite stories list, Amber), pretendingtobesane, babmidnight (Has Draco liked her in the past? I kindof leave it up to you, but in my imagination he was like in love with the idea of her. Hope you understand what I mean. Why did Draco carry Hermione? Her boots were in the car, the car was outside, outside there is snow, no shoes and snow isn't a good thing! Did that clear things up? That and me wanting to make an extra special fluffy moment for ya!), Lady Paine, sweet-77-thang, midnight solitaire (The Invasion of the Body Snatche—Oh, I mean her family visits this chapter. Christmas morning!), blackxrose (Thank you for adding meh. Yes, I believe they like each other pretty much the same. I just think Hermione just has a tad bit more reservations about it though. Draco knows what he wants.), canadian-chic1, Sacagawea, sakura angel90, CassandraTheEvil (Glad you could relate.), dracoandhermioneforever88, rupy (thank you, that was soo sweet ), Amanda (Thanks you so much for your review. I really appreciate that people do understand what I'm trying to get across.), DMTABF (I'm sorry that it is confusing. But then again I kind of want it to be. That's how Draco and Hermione feel. Confused. Yeah, they probably would know about Draco from her complaining, but this is my Fanfic and my take on things. In my perspective, I feel that Hermione wouldn't really tell her parents much about her magical life. They wouldn't understand. She feels torn. Wanting to tell them, but knowing they wouldn't understand. What muggle would know what a mudblood was anyway? And even if they did, I'm sure they wouldn't grasp the feeling from the slur as much as Hermione does. I don't really know how much else to explain it.), Radioactive Pixie (Let me just start off by saying how much your name rocks. And then thank you for adding meh to your favorites!), Edalene, Stefy, anonymous, HPLunatic, Sera, Gopher2806, and xscarsfromwithin.

Now I just wanted to say how excited I am, that I have more than 100 reviews!! Woo-hoo!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

----- 

Chapter Ten: Like a Part of the Family 

****

When Hermione woke up on Christmas morning the first thing she saw was Draco, who was sitting on the edge of her bed, finishing the last few buttons on his shirt. She grinned slightly, peeking over the covers so that only her pretty face visible. She watched him for a long moment, not wanting to get up. She wondered how long he had been awake before her, and when he was going to get her up, even though she already was.

She shrugged her shoulders slightly, sitting up a little. She wondered what time it was, but didn't feel like asking. A loud yawn emitted from her throat, causing Draco to look over, his trademark grin splayed across his handsome face.

"Happy Christmas." He greeted.

"Yes, Happy Christmas." She followed suit in a drowsy voice. "Hey, wait," She paused, her fuzzy mind (due to the early hour) finally coming into focus, "Christmas?"

He nodded and Hermione's eyes lit up. She threw the covers off and hopped out of bed with newfound energy. Then she grabbed some of her clothes out of her suitcase, running out into the hall, yelling back to him that she had to get ready, giddy excitement in her voice.

He quietly laughed to himself at her childish enthusiasm. He had certainly never come across anything like that in anyone he knew before. The sparkle in her eyes. The smile that shined through when she laughed. It was all a new experience for him. This would be a good Christmas, he told himself.

()()()()()()()()()()

The tree looked beautiful. They certainly did a good job decorating it last night. And now a plethora of gifts were tucked snugly beneath its branches. The four gathered around it, taking it all in.

Hermione's parents exchanged gifts first. Peter got some new golf clubs and Diane got a new wooden jewelry box. Then they opened the gifts from Hermione: the usual tie and perfume, but it had become some sort of odd tradition between them.

They all sat there, surrounded with various gifts, eating, talking, and sipping on cocoa. And after everyone thought the gifts were over Draco brought out his gift for Hermione. She knew right away something was off: the box was too small to be the books they had decided on.

Draco smiled as he placed the box in her hands. She gave him a curious look, but he didn't make any move to explain. So, she looked back down at the gift and quietly tore off the paper to reveal a palm sized navy blue velvet box. She opened it, catching a glimpse of the contents, and quickly closed it in disbelief.

With wide eyes, she quickly glanced over at Draco, who just smiled. She didn't quite meet her mothers' gaze, but Hermione knew what she was thinking, silently urging her to go on.

When she opened the hinged lid again it revealed a delicate silver chain and a dangling pendant with the largest emerald she had ever seen. She was rendered rather speechless. She looked over at her 'boyfriend', opening her mouth, but nothing came out, save a small almost inaudible squeak.

"Let's put it on you." Draco said quietly, saving her from having to think of anything to say. He carefully took the necklace from the velvet box and, and after she pulled her hair up and out of the way, he clasped it around her neck. When she turned back to look at him she received a smile.

"Draco…" She whispered, wanting so badly to kiss him.

"You don't have to say anything." She nodded slightly, biting her lower lip and wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. It was the most wonderful gift she had ever gotten in her entire life. She shut her eyes tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.

They were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Diane jumped up and hurried to the door. Hermione pulled back, but still held Draco's hand.

Hermione looked over at Draco giving him a worried smile, preparing herself for the onslaught of the family reunion. She could hear the door open and her mother fussing. Her father, still in the room, was hiding behind the newspaper grumbling something incoherently under his breath.

"Hermy!" She could hear an annoyingly sing-song voice call out. She smiled brightly, knowing exactly who it was. She got up, her hand leaving Draco's, as she ran into her cousin's embrace.

"Oh, Mar!" Hermione exclaimed, using the nickname that she had made up when they were children, "Haven't seen you in ages."

"Too true." Marilyn laughed, and then noticed Draco on the couch. She looked back at her cousin, giving her a knowing smile, "We definitely need to catch up." They both shared a quiet chuckle before they were interrupted by Marilyn's husband, Connor.

"Sorry, to break up this quaint little reunion, but your son just… well…" He motioned for his wife to look over into the living room.

"Oh my god, Jake, what are you doing?" Marilyn squealed as she ran over in that direction. Meanwhile Connor had given Hermione a brief hug and received a kiss on the cheek from her, when Draco had appeared at her side.

"Oh," She smiled, "Connor meet Draco Malfoy, my…"

"Boyfriend." Draco finished for her and shook Connor's hand. "Finally, a guy my age." They both laughed.

"Connor, will you come and help me…" Marilyn called from the other room, her voice sounding strained, "Oh no, Jakey, honey, don't do that, let go of it, please… Connor!"

A pained expression appeared upon Connor's face. "Terrible twos." He explained, shrugging his shoulders, before walking off to deal with another of his son's destructions.

Hermione chuckled lightly and looked over at Draco, giving him a small smile. She opened her mouth to say something when she heard another person call her name. She shut her eyes tightly and when she opened them she recieved a sympathetic smile from Draco. She narrowed her eyes slightly before walking off, wondering how she'd make it through the day.

()()()()()()()()()()

After dinner, Hermione stood in the doorway a dish in one hand and a towel in the other. Her cousin, Marilyn walked up and stood beside her, taking in the sight before them.

Draco was on his hands and knees, playing horsy with Hermione's 'nieces' and 'nephews'. Their laughter rang out while he tickled little Jakey's stomach. The boy giggled, trying to squirm out of the way of his large hand. Draco's platinum blonde hair was tousled from playing horsy with them all and his gray eyes sparkled with laughter while the boy's giggling continued. A pretty little girl clung to Draco's shoulders until they all got bored with the horsy game. So he settled down on the floor, letting the small girl crawl into his lap. They were all begging him to tell them a story. And tell them a story he did. He recounted a tale from his Hogwarts days (little did they know it was a true one). They listened intently, scooting closer when he got to a particularly exciting part.

Draco wasn't aware that Hermione was watching him with the children. He seemed at ease with the kids, not minding their loud voices or them pleading for him to play with them. Hermione smiled; she couldn't have pictured anything more perfect.

"Hermione, you've really found him this time," Marilyn said, breaking her out of her dreamy state, giving her a hug. "You're so lucky."

"Yeah," Hermione whispered, warm tears filling her eyes as she was once again reminded that none of it was real, "So lucky."

Marilyn watched her cousin, wondering what was wrong, but knowing enough about her not to ask. She nudged Hermione's arm with her elbow, causing her to blink rapidly and look over.

"Hey," Marilyn said softly, her voice comforting. And Hermione was pleased when she changed the subject, "Now that the kids have gotten off the toy and cookie high, we're all gonna watch a movie. You and Draco care to join us?"

Hermione hesitated, but then nodded her head, "But only if it's 'Miracle on 34th', okay?"

****

()()()()()()()()()()

****

The whole family gathered around the couch as Peter put in the movie. They were going to watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' first, then move on to Hermione's favorite Christmas movie, 'Miracle on 34th Street'.

Draco watched the screen with confusion, until Hermione explained what exactly a movie was, and the basics of how a television worked. He scoffed at it lightly, complaining at the muggle-quality in a whisper. Hermione threw him a smirk, which clearly said 'shut up if you know what's good for you'. Some things would never change, she thought to herself, but couldn't force the smile off her face.

With Draco snuggled next to her, she could never frown. It all felt rather perfect. The kids laying on the tummies, their small elbows propping up their awed faces at the sight of Santa Claus on the television screen. Hermione's Mom and Dad, sitting off to the side, just enjoying being surrounded with their family. Marilyn and Connor reveling in the few precious quiet moments they could share together.

The glow of the television lit up Hermione's already bright, smiling face, as she stole a glance at Draco. She brushed his ear with her lips, feeling him shiver slightly before whispering, "For muggle entertainment, you sure seem to be enjoying it."

She could see him smile, as much as he tried to hold it back. He glanced over, his nose brushing against hers, causing her to chuckle lightly. His gray eyes met hers, and he stared for a moment.

"Well, it's not exactly the movie that I'm enjoying." He said, matter of factly. One of Hermione's fine eyebrows shot up, surprise washing over her face, before it softened into a rather contented grin. She sighed lightly, leaning her head against his strong shoulder, getting lost in the movie.

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione hung around after everyone had started to walk upstairs to go to bed. She looked out the window at the falling snow, her warm breath slightly fogging up the pane. She crossed her arms and turned around.

After Hermione looked at the tree, she gazed over at the mantel. Stockings were hung there. Her father's was first, then her mother's, then her's. And after her stocking was a new one, but it fit in with the others as if it had always belonged there.

She walked over, reaching out her hand to touch it. Her fingers brushed the letters that spelled out the name Draco.

She gave it one last look, feeling some tears welling up in her chocolate eyes before she turned away and started to head upstairs. She wiped her eyes and sniffled back some tears. Yes, she thought, she had been doing that a lot lately.

()()()()()()()()()()

After changing into her pajamas and finishing in the bathroom, she went into the bedroom. She slipped into bed, pulling the covers over her. She looked over the edge of the bed at Draco.

"Comfortable?" She grinned.

"Oh, yeah." He said sarcastically.

"Haven't heard that tone in a while." She noted, watching him shrug. "Well, G'night, Draco. Sweet dreams."

"Night." He said, rolling over and looking for a comfortable position, when there was a persistent knock at the door.

Hermione sat bolt upright in bed, calling out "One minute," in a strained squeak of a voice. She tossed a pleading look to Draco, hopped up and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him up and throwing him into the bed. Draco watched her disappear onto the floor, out of his view. Suddenly a pillow flew into the air, which he caught and stashed behind him. Hermione slid his blanket under the bed, before jumping back up.

She quickly looked everything over, making sure everything looked right. She went back throwing the covers over him more then went to the door, opening it a crack.

"Yeah?" She put on a false sleepy voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't wake you, did I?" It was Marilyn.

"No, no of course not," Hermione said, adding a yawn for effect, "Did you need something?"

"I was just going to ask if you had any extra p.j.'s. Can you believe I forgot them? Remember everything for everyone else but me." She gave Hermione a sheepish smile.

"Sure," Hermione replied, and went rummaging in her suitcase.

"Who's that, love?" Marilyn could hear Draco mumble, and she shifted her weight from her right foot to her left, peeking inside the room to sneak a glance inside.

"Just Mar. Go back to sleep." Hermione replied, and then walked back to the door, handing the sleepwear to her cousin with a heavy-eyed smile.

"Thanks again." Marilyn said with a knowing grin. "Nighty-night, you two."

Once the door shut, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, and then sat on the bed indian-style as Draco propped himself up on his elbow.

"Who's that, love?" She mimicked, making her voice as low as she could, playfully hitting him on the arm.

"What?" He asked frankly, "Too much?"

"No, not at all. Nice touch." She yawned while pulling the covers over her lap. Draco watched her and smiled, getting up, taking a pillow with him.

"Draco?" He heard her say timidly.

"Hmm?" He asked, starting to get situated on the floor.

"It must be awfully uncomfortable sleeping there."

"I'm alright." He lied through his teeth, watching her fiddle nervously with her hands.

"Well, I was thinking since it was Christmas and since Marilyn is one for barging in unexpectedly…" Before she could finish, Draco was in the bed beside her.

He scrunched the pillow and rested his head and took a deep breath, enjoying the soft mattress instead of the cold floor.

"You're sure?" He asked in mid-yawn. She nodded. She hadn't the heart to send him away, and though she probably wouldn't admit it, she was happy he was there. She stretched, cracking her back, before she buried herself beneath the covers.

Mumbling a partly incoherent 'goodnight', she snuggled down under the warm covers. She stared at the ceiling silently wishing that this night would never end. She wished that she could just lay beside him, and not have to worry about the morning.


	11. At the End of the Day

Author's Note: I've been getting tons of reviews that say, "I wish they'd just get together already." And I just wanted to warn you: it gets worse before it gets better. I understand the frustration, because it's getting sortof angsty. I feel bad for drawing this out, but it is sortof the 'rising action' in the plot and it has to have more tension and dramatics. So, please understand. I'll try and make it up to you. There are some cutesy "Aww" moments in the upcoming chapters.

Thanks: Gryffindor620, amber-rules, hyparly4suger, Dracoandhermioneforever88, Lady Paine, reviewer, fionger, CassandraTheEvil, Elfaghetti, flirtytype214 (Oh, I'll continue! So dun worry.), Jasmijn, DMTAB (I never really thought of introducing Harry and Ron into the story. I'm not sure how I'd work it in so late in the game, but I'll give it some thought. You always have interesting idears!), Faydra, citcat299, Gopher2806, V0xLoS (I hope you'll like the chapter more.), Sofa Girl, midnight solitaire (I think we all want to be in Hermione's place!!), foxxglove, alka (Yep, my first.), xmaverickf14x, Saiyachick, mesmer, HealerAriel (Yeah, He's pretty hot!), Luna Gypsy, ckrfan (I'm glad someone picked up on that! My favorite part!), and Amanda (Yay, long review! Awh, that's so nice. Oh, and you better have another unrelated topic for me! But, um, you must really like my little story, eh? You're such a sweetheart for actually reviewing twice. You (and perhaps your singing ) actually made me get back to writing. I've been having terrible block on this. It's awful for me, because Draco and Hermione have to fight. Oh well... Thanks. You really made meh smile.)

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

----- 

Chapter Eleven: At the End of the Day

Hermione slowly opened her eyes, and she could feel the corners of her mouth curve slightly upwards into the beginning of a smile. Draco was still asleep, his platinum hair was in his eyes and he looked so peaceful and innocent. Very much unlike his usual devilishly handsome self when he was awake.

His leg was wrapped around hers and his arm was draped over her protectively. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent and when she opened her eyes again she found him looking down into them.

"Morning," He said, grinning and she hoped he couldn't see the blush creeping across her cheeks. She could feel them burning and she nestled her face into her pillow, hoping to hide her embarrassment.

She mumbled what Draco could only assume to be "Good Morning," as her voice was muffled from the pillow.

Draco's grin broadened even more as he watched her, making no obvious move to get up. He laid there, just enjoying the fact that they were close. This was definitely something he could get used to, he thought as he watched her hide her face from him.

And he was about to... When a knock sounded against Hermione's door, causing her to jump up, sliding further away from him on the bed.

"Time for you two lovebirds to get up." Marilyn's voice called from the hall. Hermione's cheeks, which had just recovered from the last blush, now turned a most adorable shade of pink, or so Draco liked to think.

He grinned broadly, watching a murderous look flit across Hermione's delicate features as he sat up.

'I'm going to kill Marilyn,' Hermione thought as she clutched the sheet, holding it against her, feeling modest for whatever reason even though her camisole kept her decent enough. "I'll— we'd better go..." She said, her voice small.

He nodded, watching her scoot out of the room and he let himself fall back down onto the bed.

Why did everything have to be so bloody complicated?

()()()()()()()()()()

At the end of the day, when all of their acting was put aside, when it was only the two of them a somber feeling overcame both of them. It was a sadness that they both tried to ignore by getting lost in the normal day-after-Christmas events.

Yes, December twenty-sixth went by rather quickly. It was mostly a blur to both Hermione and Draco. They spent most of their time doing typical family Christmas things.

The kids, for the most part, played with their new toys and snuck leftover gingerbread men. The adults sat around, enjoying each other's company until it was time for them to get back on the road. Most of Hermione's relatives left, all but Marilyn and Connor, who stayed so they could have some free time to themselves without the kids, who were going to go and spend some time with their grandparents. It left the house rather empty.

Draco even caught himself missing Hermione's family. He didn't want to admit it, but he loved every part of this family life. He loved the laughing and the good times and the happiness that filled him.

He wanted to be a part of it. For real. And that was his downfall. He knew it would never be real. He realized Hermione would never really love him, so why should he waste his time? He would just play along with this façade for the remainder of the holidays and then he'd be out of her life forever.

"Hermione," He said, sitting on the bed as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

"Hermione," He repeated when she did not give him her full attention, something he had found himself wanting more and more lately. "What are you going to tell your mum?"

"What do you mean?" She asked as she settled down next to him, pulling the covers over her lap.

"I mean after—" He stopped, not wanting to say it, but knowing he could prolong it no longer, "after we, you know, 'break up'." He said looking over at her trying to cover the sad look in his eyes. She was staring at the wall in front of her, her eyes blank, any and all emotion draining from them.

"Well, I suppose we could have a fight while you're here." She said, looking over at him. "It would be easier that way, I guess. I wouldn't have to explain it to Mum... she could just overhear."

"When?" Draco said simply, his voice devoid of any emotion. He suddenly sounded like the Ice Prince of Hogwarts again.

"Well tomorrow." She said, her voice remarkably similar to his. Then suddenly, she realized she wanted to spend a little more time with him, "Tomorrow night. Then you'll leave..." She added softly, her voice faint.

A part of her wished that he would argue that point. A part wished that he would tell her that there was no reason to fight, because he really did love her. But then her practical side took over and she shook her head, ridding her mind of that notion. He would never love her. She reached over turning off the side table lamp.

Draco stayed sitting up for a moment, leaning against the bed's headboard, letting it sink in. This would be his last night being a part of this. Then he looked over at Hermione, watching her body bathed in the moonlight spilling in from the window. God, how he'd miss her. How he came to love her in a few short days. He slid down beside her, knowing it would be the last night he'd be next to her.

()()()()()()()()()()

The sound of two yelling voices could be heard through the kitchen door. Hermione didn't have the heart to start a fight right there in front of her parents, so she pulled Draco into the kitchen, deciding that it would be easier in there. But it wasn't. Draco leaving could never be easy for her. But they fought nonetheless.

"I can't believe you said that!" Hermione yelled, straining her voice, "I thought..." She started, her breathing ragged, "I thought that we... you..." She had gone into hysterics. What had started out as an act, their pretend fight, had turned into quite a real way of letting out her emotions.

"I know we have our differences. I know I've said things... But we can work this out." Came Draco's pleading voice. The bitter irony of the situation had slowly been breaking his heart and now it was almost completely in half.

"J- just leave." She said, her voice quiet and broken.

He knew it was over. She'd be gone from his life forever. He'd lose her. She was slipping away from him and he desperately wanted to hold on.

He shouldn't have, but he couldn't control himself. His lips pressed against hers. The kiss had started out rather rough, but then it turned into a frantic, pleading one, the salt of her tears on his tongue.

No, she thought. This was too much for her to handle and she pushed him away from her. He staggered back a few steps, then his grey eyes met hers and he looked at her for one last time. Her eyes were red and wet and her lips were swollen and slightly parted. He knew it was over and he spun around on his heel, walking outside in defeat.

She managed to follow him at least out into the front hallway. She stumbled back against the wall for support, as her legs were too weak and she slid to the ground. She brushed her fingertips over her tender lips. She could still taste him.

()()()()()()()()()()

Marilyn couldn't help but overhear. She was going into the kitchen, for a reason she couldn't remember after hearing... well, what she heard. When Draco stormed out into the hall, she hid in the dining room, not wanting to be seen.

She peeked around the corner, seeing her cousin's crumpled form, hunched against the wall. She slowly moved over towards her and went to embrace her, but Hermione tried to push her away, mumbling, "No..."

Hermione struggled in her arms, but Marilyn wouldn't let her go. Marilyn knew Hermione too well. They were family. They were friends. And Marilyn knew enough about her to know that as much as Hermione wanted to be alone, she needed comfort.

Hermione finally realized that and relented, allowing her cousin to hold her. She shut her eyes tightly, leaning on Marilyn's shoulder.

And Hermione cried. Because at the end of the day, she was still alone.


	12. Much Needed Advice

Author's Note:  Okay, I just read the latest reviews for chapter eleven and you know what?  EVERYBODY IS CRYING!  I can't take it.  Goodness.  I don't like making people cry, so here... I wrote another chapter!  Yes, it's true!  Believe it.  A sort of fast update.  Anywho, I feel terrible.  Well, I hope you still have some Kleenex left.  This chapter might leave you with a few tears as well.  But don't worry this is not the end.  I repeat:  Not the end! 

Thanks:   sweet-77-thang, flirtytype214, carly114, SnApEyPiRaTe, DMTABF, LilChocolateAngl, LysteriouslyUnique, orenji, Aleesha, Sila-chan (Awh, dun cry.  Things will get better.), V0xLoS (Don't worry, they'll come to their senses.), fionger (Oh goodness, another one crying.  I'll try and make this sad part go as quickly as possible.), Saiyachick (Oh gosh!  I'm being stalked.  Well, here... the new chapter!), mesmer, Spilled Milk, stellerr, Gryffindor620, hyparly4suger (Thanks for commenting on both of my stories.), Axisha (Thanks for the kind words and erhm... what a wonderful singing voice you have. -grin-), RedCinders (I understand where you're coming from.  Things are moving fast, but I have to have it that way for the plot to work.  Someone asked if Draco liked her in Hogwarts.  I said that he was in love with the idea of Hermione.  I guess that is why I feel okay about the pace.), midnight solitaire (I'm sorry that you didn't like the last chapter.  I hope it's just because it was sad and not because you think it was poorly written.), Amanda (Dude!  Yay for Oogly-ness in stories!  Sorreh, had to get that out.  Glad to make ya smile.  ...Oh and I wanted to say thanks for reviewing 'The Horoscopes'!  I'm so happy someone finally read it!  I'm replying to your reviews of that here because I don't know when I'm going to get around to updating that.  -grin- ...And I can only imagine what your next unrelated topic will be!), Hyper Dudette (S'ok, I guess.  Even though I'm not exactly sure why you are sorry.), Jinet, Gopher2806, Pigwidgeon188, Luna Gypsy, and Kadoatie24 (No, no... definitely not the end.  How could I be so cruel to end it like that?!).

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. ----- 

Chapter Twelve:  Much Needed Advice

 "Hermione, dear," Her mother knocked on her bedroom door, "I've brought you some breakfast.  Can I come in?" There was no answer, but Diane could hear the faint sound of sniffling.  She opened it a crack and peeked her head inside. 

"Mum?" Hermione asked, hearing the voice from her doorway.  She sat up, watching Diane walk in and set down a cup of tea on the bedside table. 

"Are you alright, Honey?" Diane asked, putting the plate of food on the table as well.

Hermione paused for a moment.  She wished with every fiber of her being that this awful feeling in the pit of her stomach would go away.  After all the wishing that their relationship were real, she wished it wasn't now.  She couldn't deal with this pain.  She couldn't handle this aching sadness that seemed to consume her.  She wished Draco Malfoy didn't matter to her, because this feeling of emptiness and loss was completely too much to bear. 

"No, mum, I'm not.  I miss him." She started crying again.

"Oh, Hermione," She said, her voice gentle and comforting as she pulled her daughter into a hug, "He wasn't good enough for you anyway."

"No, Mum," She paused, looking up at her, "He _was_ good enough.  He was perfect."

()()()()()()()()()()

Draco couldn't sleep at all that night.  All he could do was lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling, constantly glancing at the clock on his side table.  When it read 5 o'clock, he got up and after hastily getting ready, he apparated to work.  He tried to get some paperwork done.  After all, he had taken the better part of a week off.  A week he would have normally spent working.       

It had started to get light out and at about nine o'clock, his office door opened. 

He looked up to find his secretary looking rather startled.

"Oh Mister Malfoy.  I'm sorry.  I didn't realize you were back from your trip…" She rambled, apologizing profusely, waving her arms around slightly.

"It alright, Amy, I got back last night.  Ended rather unexpectedly…" He looked down at this, trying to fight off that feeling again.  He shook his head, adding, "Decided to come in early to catch up.  Did you need something?"

"Oh, no.  Just the mail." She walked over to hand it to him when he noticed a glimmer on her left ring finger.

"Thank you," He said automatically and she went to leave, but stopped when she heard him start to say something, "Amy, don't you have some news for me?"

She looked confused for a moment, but then grinned widely as any new bride-to-be would and strode over and waggled her hand in front of Draco.

"Will asked me over Christmas." She grinned, "We were at his parents' cabin in the mountains and we were drinking hot cocoa and… I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"No, no…" He said, looking slightly dejected.

"Is there something wrong, Mister Malfoy?  I don't mean to pry; it's just that you seemed so happy before you left and now… Well, not so much." She smiled awkwardly. "Did something at the meeting go sour?"

"No, nothing like that," He said, seeing her mouth an 'oh' and then look like she was about to start to apologize once again, when he added, "Girl trouble." She gave him a knowing smile.

"I know all about that... well, the other way around.  Boy trouble." She smiled dreamily, looking down at her diamond, "I guess that's all over with now…"

Draco watched her, trying not to think about what Hermione was doing just then.  Probably having a wonderful time with her family.  He frowned, wanting to think that she might be feeling the same as him, but he knew better.  He skulked and was brought out of his doubts by Amy's voice.

"Well, if that's all, I'm going to go and finish those reports…"

"Yes, that's all." He smiled, and then said, "You know, why don't you take the rest of the day off?  Surprise Will." She smiled brightly.

"Oh, thank you, Mister Malfoy." She paused, "I'll be here bright and early tomorrow."  He chuckled slightly and looked up at her but she was already gone, off to spend time with her love. 

He scowled and turned back to the unorganized paperwork scattered on his desk.  Draco flipped through the mail, and then tossed it down on the desk, letting out a frustrated sigh. 

Then one envelope caught his eye.  It was from Hermione.  He knew he had no reason to hope, but he couldn't help himself when he saw who it was from.  When he opened it, he was expecting a letter or, well, anything but this. 

It was the article.  The bloody article.  Just the article.  No note.  Nothing.  He had never felt quite so empty, empty and cold.  A cold that no fire could fix.  Well, no fire but the passionate one that blazed in Hermione's eyes.  The flicker that, when she gazed at him, he thought was real.  But now he knew it wasn't.  Things couldn't get much worse. 

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione was lying in bed.  She glanced over at her clock.  Ten o'clock.  She had been hiding away for the past two days now.  She couldn't face them.  She couldn't face her parents.  Or even anyone else for that matter.  But her conscience was eating away at her. 

She felt completely awful about this whole thing.  Everyone was being so nice to her.  Her mother wasn't even pushing her to come and spend time with Marilyn and Connor before they left.  She just let her stay in her room and cry, thinking that she needed this time to herself.

But the only thing that all that time was doing, was making her want to come clean about this whole thing.  She got out of bed, pajamas and all, and headed downstairs with a newfound resolve.

"Mum," She said, finding Diane at the landing.  Hermione stood there, watching her mother rummage through the coat closet, but went on anyway, "We need to talk."

"About what, sweetie?"

"Well..." She said, not knowing how to start.  "I just wanted to tell you that... well, um," She swallowed hard, watching her mother pull on her coat.  Hermione wondered what she would think.  She opened her mouth, but it wasn't a confession that spilled out, "Mum, what are you doing?" She asked, quite dumbfoundedly.

Diane gave her daughter a sheepish grin as she pulled the scarf around her neck, "I have a patient.  Complete emergency." She paused, "Root canal.  I do hope you understand..."

"Sure, Mum."

"Oh, good." Diane smiled, kissing her daughter's cheek. "We'll have that little chat some other time."

Hermione guessed that the truth would have to wait.

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione did her best to keep herself occupied while her mother was away.  She did some dishes, tidied her room, took a shower, and even... well, you get the picture.  She glanced at the clock again, wondering how long a bloody root canal could take.

After running out of ideas of how to kill time, she frowned and headed into the kitchen.  Maybe a little snack would help to get her mind off of her troubles. 

So, after raiding the fridge and only coming up with some leftover turkey, she sat down at the kitchen table.  Taking a bite of her turkey, she boredly began to sort through a messy pile of papers someone left on the tabletop.

The top of the pile was a few sections of the newspaper.  She quickly pushed that aside; it only reminded her of work and that she had sent out the article to Draco.  She shook her head, as if that would remove the thought of _him_ from her mind. 

Underneath the newspaper were some already opened Christmas cards.  She pushed them aside too.  She had had more than enough Holiday spirit to handle right then.  The last thing was an extra invitation to the Granger's annual New Year's Party.

Hermione's chocolate brown eyes scanned over the details although she didn't really have to… everything about the party was always the same.

Her parents would splurge and have their little shindig at Macri's, the finer restaurant at the town's more upscale hotel. 

Hermione set the invitation back down, and then tidied up the pile before finishing her snack.

 ()()()()()()()()()()

Draco was back at the office again, working at insanely early hours.  His desk calendar glared at him.  December 31st, it stated.  New Year's Eve, it reminded him in those big bold letters that seemed to mock him. 

He frowned.  He knew it was over.  He and Hermione were over, although they never really had been together to begin with.  He knew it, but in the back of his mind he had some hope.  He was still supposed to be with Hermione at her parents' house.  He had no reason to keep faith and he told himself that he was an idiot for doing so, but he couldn't ignore it. 

He couldn't forget the way her eyes seemed to sparkle when he made her laugh or how wide they got when she saw the necklace he gave to her on Christmas or how…

He was brought out of his thoughts when there was a knock at the door.  It was Amy.  Mail was here.

"Good Morning, Mister Malfoy." She said politely, "Here's your mail…" She paused and looked like she was thinking something over, "I wanted to thank you about yesterday…" 

Draco's face almost immediately took on a look of depression.  He was happy for her, but he just couldn't take her story right now.  He couldn't hear how she and her fiancée went on a picnic or walked on the beach or whatever the bloody hell they did.  And he certainly didn't want to hear how they'd live happily-ever-after. 

"Well, if that's all, Amy, I really need to get back to work." He said abruptly and instantly felt sorry for being so harsh.

"No, that's not all." He looked up, surprised. "When you gave me the day off, I kept thinking about what you said.  I didn't know and really I still don't know if I should be saying this… because, who am I to give you advice about anything?  But, I've been working here a long time and I know you better than you think.  With all the overtime I put in, I should think so.  And, well, I've never seen you quite so down as you are right now.  I don't know what happened with this girl, but I think you should give it another try.  She seems worth it." 

Draco was shocked.  How simple it seemed when she said it.  And he knew what he had to do. 

Amy looked a little bit scared right then.  Surely he would fire her for that.  She had no right to say that.  Her mind was screaming at her for being such a blabbermouth, and then she saw the look on his face.   

Amy thought it was a miracle when she saw him smile. 

"That was the most brilliant thing I've heard in such a long time.  You're absolutely right." He said, starting to put some things away.

"Well, thank you Mister—" She started when he cut in.

"Amy, take the day off… No the week!" He paused, throwing on his coat, "Just do one thing first."

"Whatever you want, sir."

"Find me a car, I have somewhere I need to be."


	13. Second Chances

**Author's Note:** Yes, I know. I have Draco driving in this. People are going to ask why just not apparate? Well, if you actually care that much, here: "...this can apply to a Portkeys and other spells as well. You can't create a Portkey to somewhere you do not know, you may not even be able to Apparate to a place you do not know..." And "Apparition becomes more difficult as distance increases." There you go. If you're going to be really nitpicky then I'll put up the links where I found that stuff, but hopefully you won't be mean and will just let it go. Happy reading.

**Thanks:** Amanda (Thank goodness for your long reviews. Anyways... Yeah, I luff Amy too. She's the best and not to mention a good little plot device. Oh and yay for your sister! Go Amanda's sister!), Fionger (All right. Thanks for the clarification. And, no, you're not annoying. -grin-), DanishGirl, Karana Belle (You've got this chapter and then one more. I might do an epilogue though, if I get an idea for it.), Danny Frank (Erhm... use your imagination.), anonymous, Horny-Cotter, Saiyachick (I have my first official stalker. Oh, and I checked about the bare/bear thing. It is bear. Old grammar books are lovely for that sort of thing. And I dun know how to get it double-spaced; mine just goes wacky when I upload. But maybe if you go to the Preview/Edit thingy and add spaces there? Hope that helps.), DMTABF (You'll have to wait until chapter 14 for Draco and Hermione to get back together. I have a few funny bits that are going to happen first! Glad you liked the Amy part. I luffed it too.), stallarr (Yeah, I'm a little night owl sometimes!), Gryffindor620, mesmer, RedCinders, mrs. brittany felton, Raesaline, super sycoh, sweet-77-thang, A Story Of The Year, Croaker, keddababy, The Prophetess (Yes, there's more!), Pigwidgeon188 (I am I am I am updating now!), Hyper Dudette (Ooh! Okay. I thought that we knew each other or something. Sorreh, blonde moment there. Won't happen again! Thanks for reviewing. Hope you like this chapter.), Callie, and Angelic Night Goddess.

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

----- 

**Chapter Thirteen: Second Chances**

Draco was driving terribly fast, going way over the speed limit. That was what Hermione had called it, right? He tried to remember what Hermione had taught him on the drive down. The ride to her parents' was long, and memorizing all the names of Hermoine's Aunt Lydia's cats was not his idea of fun, so he had Hermione explain the basics of driving.

After the lesson, he realized that driving wasn't so bad. He was pleasantly surprised at his new driving skills. His second time and he was rather good at it (Hermione let him drive an hour on the way down when she got tired). He smiled at himself and his newfound talent.

Well, that was until he saw flashing red lights in the rear view mirror.

Draco frowned, wishing he had apparated. Why, oh why, had he let his fear of getting splinched stop him? He grumbled to himself.

It didn't look too good so he decided to pull over. He watched as a tall, lanky man in some sort of uniform leisurely got out of the vehicle behind him and moseyed up to his car.

"You know what you were doing, son?" He asked, leaning down to look at Draco through the window.

"Driving…" Draco replied innocently, for in all honestly, he had no idea what he had done wrong. He looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was about five. He had driven to his flat to pack a few things he needed and was about an hour into the drive towards Hermione's parents' house.

"I'm in no mood for jokes. License and registration?" He peered over his aviator sunglasses at the man with platinum hair, waiting for his response.

_License and registration,_ Draco thought, confused. What the bloody hell was that? Obviously Hermione had neglected to let him in on this muggle tidbit of information. No matter though, he could just talk his way out of this. Right.

"It's in my car. This is the company's." That was a good answer, Draco figured, and it was sort of the truth. He looked back up at the man through the open car window.

"Please step out of the vehicle." Came the officer's reply.

Nope, that was not what Draco was hoping for. The officer pulled out a small notebook; ready to write him a ticket when Draco realized this was taking way too long. He'd never make it in time.

"Look, I've got somewhere to be."

"And I've got a job to do. Step out of the car." The man said firmly. Draco flung the car door open and got out, growling obscenities under his breath.

"I don't think you understand." Draco started.

"No, I don't think _you_ understand." He replied. Draco reached in his pocket searching for his wand, hoping that the uniform would not notice. And he didn't notice, his focus concentrated on writing out the ticket. Draco raised his wand and, before the cop could say anything, he was lying on the ground, being hit by Draco's spell.

He recited another and the officer levitated back to the police car. Draco pocketed his wand and got back in the car, racing off again as he muttered something about blasted muggles.

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione listlessly readied herself for the New Year's Eve party.

She was not in good spirits. She had yet to tell her mother the truth. When her mother returned from the root canal, she was exhausted and Hermione had lost some of her nerve, so she just let her mother go to sleep.

She pulled on her new black cocktail dress that she bought just before she came to visit. She had magicked her hair dry, but could not be bothered to put it up in a fancy updo. Her make-up was limited, just enough to cover the bags under her eyes from her lack of sleep, some mascara, and a touch of clear lip-gloss.

She surveyed her appearance in her vanity mirror. She didn't look like her usual self... but this tired version would have to do.

She turned to walk downstairs when the glint of something silver caught her eye. She looked over to the bedside table, seeing the emerald necklace that Draco had given her lying there. Her eyes welled up. She told herself not to cry again, but she couldn't help herself.

Stop it! She hated herself for crying. She brought this whole thing on herself. She asked him to come. It was her idea!

But, of course, she hadn't meant to fall in love with him, but that was beside the point.

Her mind argument was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. "Leaving in five, sweetheart." Came her father's muffled voice.

"Okay, Dad." She managed, grabbing a few last minute items and shoving them inside her purse before heading out.

()()()()()()()()()()

Draco put the car in park and got out of the car so fast he very well could have set the record. It was dusk and he was terribly worried about not making it in time. He knocked furiously on the door, waited, and then knocked again.

He rang the bell. Once, twice, three times, still no answer. Coming to the conclusion that nobody was home, he sat down on the steps, putting his head in his hands.

He was too late. That was his attempt and he had failed.

He slowly got up and headed back towards the car. He opened the door and took one more look at the house. The lights, the decorations, there was a snowman outside. The snowman he had made with Marilyn's kids.

Then the most brilliant idea popped into his head: Marilyn. Marilyn would know where she was!

He had another chance.

()()()()()()()()()()

The party seemed to drag on all night, only marked by sympathetic gestures and pitied glances by those who knew. Hermione barely spoke, answering mostly in one-syllable responses. She didn't touch any of the food. She did, although, have something to drink. But as good as this muggle liquor was, it still was nothing compared to what she used to have at the Leaky Cauldron. Oh how she ached for some Old Ogden's Fire Whiskey.

Maybe that would help her pass the time 'til midnight.

()()()()()()()()()()

Draco pulled into the driveway, flinging open the door and leaving the motor running as he dashed for the door. He knocked, once, twice, three times. This time he had more luck. Finally on the third, the door opened, revealing a somewhat surprised looking Marilyn.

"Draco?" She asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Is Hermione here?" He asked, ignoring her question, replacing with one of his own.

"No, she's not." She replied and Draco's breath caught in his throat.

()()()()()()()()()()

Hermione kept glancing at the clock. Midnight was drawing near and for that she was glad. She couldn't wait to get home. Get home and go to bed and then leave for her apartment in the morning. She could go back to the newspaper and loose herself in work.

She was brought out of her thoughts when someone asked her to dance. She said no, but he wouldn't take that for an answer. She took his outstretched hand.

It was Drew, she noted vaguely, the son of her mum's old university friend. The band was playing a slow song and she held her hand on his shoulder, her eyes glancing around the dance floor. She closed her eyes and for a moment she felt like she were dancing with Draco.

But that was too good to be true.

()()()()()()()()()()

Marilyn had just gotten the kids to calm down and watch a movie when she heard a knock on the door. She was dumbfounded to say the least when she saw a desperate looking Draco on her doorstep.

He wanted to know if Hermione was there. She told him that she wasn't and then finally noticed the car in the driveway, "You drove all this way?" Marilyn asked, her heart practically melting.

She knew his intentions were good. This man was the one for her cousin and she knew it. She would do anything to help him.

"Yes," He said, "I did. Do you know where she is?"

Marilyn looked over her shoulder, her eyes settling on the small table against the wall in the house's entryway. Draco, unsure of what she was doing, started to ramble, explaining what had happened.

"We had this big fight and I need to talk to her, but I don't know where she is. I drove to her house but she isn't there and I didn't know where else to go and I need to see her." He said in a quick, rushed voice.

Finally Marilyn found what she was looking for. She turned around to face him. "Stop," She said, "You don't need to explain. I know... and here," She handed him a piece of paper. "This is an invitation to the New Years Eve party. That's where she is." Marilyn took a quick glance at her watch. "If you leave now, you should just make it."

Draco smiled. He had one last chance. He had to make it. And with a newfound determination, he turned from her and ran to the car, waving goodbye as he left.

Marilyn smiled dreamily, wistfully remembering the romantic things Connor had done for her. And speaking of Connor, she could hear his voice from down the hall ask, "Who was that, darling?"

She glanced back and said simply, "Family."


	14. No More Misunderstandings

**Author's Note:** Yes. I know, I know. I've been gone practically forever. But I figured that this would be a good time to update. Christmas. Before you read, please realize that this is not my favorite chapter at all, but I can't seem to get it just the way I want it. Maybe that's why I haven't updated in so long. But, anywho, I guess I just hope you'll like it. So, now I present you with the last chapter of "A Little Misunderstanding". It's sad to know that it is over, but hopefully you've all enjoyed my little work of fiction.

**Thanks:** sweet-77-thang, dracoandhermioneforever88, SlytherinRoyalty, MalfieMia22, Evangeline1, Gryffindor620, Liza, Callie, Some12, SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03, Hyper Dudette, Morgan27, Horny-Cotter, SweetiePye2332, KeWlGaL9tH, Amanda (Yeah, I have to end it soon. New Year's Eve. And everyone thinks that she didn't take it. Well, if you read closely, she grabbed a few last minute things before leaving. Now I wonder what that last minute thing could be? Huh? Huh! And I figured he just knows since it was bound to come up in one of the conversations.), Karana Belle (Glad you liked it. Oh and... Hmm, but really, did she leave the necklace behind?), ckrfan (Yes, I luff that part.), Maeggy (-blushes- Thank you.), citcat299 (I would be a truly evil person to do that!), Mikasa Wormhole (Oh no, not another person crying!), Saiyachick, MysteriouslyUnique (Good things come to those who wait!), BlissfulSuffering, MajorFanFic, HealerAriel, super sycoh, Pigwidgeon188, fionger, steffi25, Kathe, Krirobe (Don't apologize. It was a lovely review. ), Ezmerelda, Jexi, S A K U R A22, Rytanya, xoOBlackDragonOox, ambrosia, FiRe-n-IcE-62, charmed-phoenixgirl, xmaverickf14x, Sofa Girl, Meg, and DanishGirl.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. ----- 

**Chapter Fourteen: No More Misunderstandings**

The song had ended and before Hermione knew it, Drew was moving to walk her off the dance floor. She was glad about that too, because she felt that she'd start to cry if he wanted another dance. Not that he wasn't a nice guy, and she probably would have liked him otherwise, but he just wasn't... he just wasn't Draco.

She suddenly glanced up at Drew, realizing he was speaking. Truthfully, she had gotten lost in her thoughts. He was thanking her for the dance. "My pleasure." She replied, though it really hadn't been. He looked at her a moment longer and she gave him what could have been a smile, hoping that that would send him on his way. Thankfully it did, because she really didn't know how else to get him to leave.

Feeling her chocolate eyes brimming with hot tears, she hastily headed off the dance floor, making her way to the ladies' room. Once inside, she grasped the edge of the counter with her shaky hands, bracing herself. She didn't know why she let herself get so emotional over this. She had never been like this about anyone. She had always been in control. Though it seemed that a certain Slytherin always made her lose just that.

She slowly looked up and, with a frown on her face, she surveyed her appearance in the mirror. Her mascara was running and there was a single tear that had managed to trickle down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away, not wanting to see it any longer. She then reached inside her purse, looking for a tissue or anything to make her look any better than she did just then.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the sparkle of her emerald necklace at the bottom of her bag.

Merlin, she thought, why had she brought it? Why couldn't she just have left it back home on the table? She wanted so much to leave it, to forget about it, damnit. She should have put it away and sent it back to him with the article. She doubted that he'd want _her_ to have it anymore.

But against her will, Hermione's hand reached inside of her bag and with trembling fingers, pulled it out. She held it in her palm and stared down at the multifaceted gem.

Suddenly the bathroom door opened and an older lady walked in. Hermione's eyes darted over to her. The woman looked somewhat surprised. Though, who wouldn't be, to see this poor girl looking so sad? Her wise old eyes lowered, settling on the jewelry.

"Oh, doll," She said kindly, "Would you like me to help you with that?" But the woman didn't wait for an answer. She was already over by Hermione's side, taking the necklace from her hands. She unhooked the piece of jewelry and then quickly clasped it around her neck. She then glanced over to the mirror, looking at Hermione's reflection. Seeing the girl's wet eyes, she pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it into her palm. A faint bittersweet smile caressed Hermione's lips at the lady's gesture.

"There you are, dear." She said softly and Hermione slowly tried to fix her makeup. A moment later, she turned to return it and thank the woman, but she was gone. Mione quickly hurried out of the bathroom and let her brown eyes scan the room, looking for her retreating figure, but she could find none.

She slowly went to walk back towards her table when something caught her eye. Hermione looked over towards the door, where she could see some people in a commotion. She slowly got up, wondering what all the fuss was about.

oooooooooo

Draco was getting more and more agitated by the minute. He had just pulled into the car park. Slamming the car door shut, he ran towards the door. He pushed some people aside, getting up to the front of the line. That move earned him a fair few curses and shouts.

He ignored them though as he tried to reason with the doorman. Draco didn't have an invitation, so the doorman didn't look as if he would be letting him inside. He looked down at his watch again. Damnit, he would surely miss it if this damned doorman wouldn't let him through. Malfoy had been arguing with him for the past fifteen minutes, trying to weasel, or shall we say ferret, his way inside.

"Look, I already told you that I don't have the invitation, but I need to see someone inside." But that didn't seem to be working. God, this doorman was not going to budge an inch on this subject, was he? Draco wanted to just put a spell on him, but there were too many people around. "I promise, I'll only be in there for five minutes. I just have to see someone and I'll be out again... Please."

The man crossed his arms over his chest, blocking the way even more. "If you don't have an invitation, then you're not getting in." He said sternly.

Draco had no choice. "You better bloody well let me in..." He said firmly, his hand reaching for his wand.

oooooooooo

Hermione's eyes went wide when she heard someone shouting. It was _his_ voice. It was _Draco's_ voice. But no, it couldn't have been. She shook her head, getting ready to turn back. But there it was again. And when Hermione saw a flash of platinum blonde hair, she thought she was going crazy.

She wasn't.

She quickly pushed past some people, trying to get towards the door to see if it really was him. She nearly dropped her bag and she didn't catch her jaw as her mouth fell wide open in shock at the sight.

Draco had his wand halfway out of his pocket when he saw Hermione and he said a quick 'Thank Merlin' under his breath. He quickly slipped his wand back into his pocket and pointed over at Hermione, "Look there." He paused, "You see, she knows me. Please just let me in..."

The man looked back to Hermione, narrowing his eyes some, but he relented when he saw the girl say his name. "D- Draco?"

But the blonde man didn't wait any longer and he quickly pushed past him and walked over to her side.

"Can we talk?" He asked, his eyes insistent, "Please." She nodded and he led her over towards the main room, getting away from the doorman's prying eyes.

oooooooooo

Hermione looked up at Draco, giving him what she hoped appeared to be a blasé, indifferent look. Her eyes darted down to his hand still on her elbow and she slowly disentangled herself from his grasp.

"W- what are you doing here?" She asked softly, furrowing her brow in confusion.

Draco knew that _that_ was coming. He'd be a fool not to expect it and he quickly started to try and explain. "Hermione, I know that this situation has been, for lack of a better term, complicated and that…" He was interrupted by the loud voices of the people around them, cheering and beginning the countdown to midnight.

_10…9…8…_

He glanced around for no longer than a second before settling his silver eyes back on her.

"Hermione," He said, as he took her hands and looked deep into her now watery brown eyes as the countdown continued.

_7…6…5…4…_

He opened his mouth to try and continue, but he couldn't find the words. What a time to be speechless? No, he certainly didn't expect it to be _this_ hard. Then an idea struck him.

_3…2…1! Happy New Year!_

And no sooner had she heard the cheering that signaled the ringing in of the New Year when she felt Draco's lips lower onto hers. The surprise on her face was obvious, and she slowly pulled back to look up at him.

Her face was almost touching his and she spoke softly, "Draco…" Her eyes were almost pleading. This was not the kind of New Year's Kiss she had expected.

"Shh…" He said, his grey eyes darting down to the jewlery he gave her that was now around her neck. He swallowed hard, finding his voice once more. "I... I know that this all started out with a misunderstanding and that none of it was real, but I know enough about you to know that I want to give us a chance. I'm a wreck without you." When he finished, he looked down at her, waiting anxiously for her reaction.

By that time Hermione was crying, and she slipped her arms up and around his shoulders. She buried her face against the curve of his neck, holding him tightly. A moment later she pulled back, but only enough to whisper, "I didn't think you'd come back."

Relief washed over Draco's face and then a smile broke out to join it. "I didn't think you'd want me to." She smiled at that, leaning down to rest her head on his shoulder, but stopped and looked up when she heard him begin to speak again.

"I'd like to kiss you now." He said, smirking broadly the way only he could, "...for real."


End file.
